Home
by SerenBex
Summary: Katy Mitchell is back. Is she the only one?
1. Chapter 1

A crowd had gathered in the gardens, watching the removal men carrying boxes and various items of furniture into Number 43. Jack paused on his journey home from the Minute Mart, joining the group who were craning their necks to get a clearer view of the situation in the hopes of spotting the new residents of the Square. They watched as box after box was carried into the building. The new residents had expensive taste, judging by some of the larger pieces of furniture that were being taken in.

While they were watching, a dark car drew up outside the house, partly hidden from view behind the removal van. A woman climbed out of the driver's seat, her coat collar lifted to fend off the cold. She moved around the other side of the car, unstrapping a child from a car seat as another slipped out of the door closest to the gardens. The residents watching tried to get a better look at their new neighbours, but they were immediately hidden from view behind the removal van.

Karen, completely ignoring everyone else's silent appraisal of the situation, called out cheerily to the new resident, looking incredibly put out by the reaction. Shooting a rude hand gesture at the woman's back, she crossed to stand next to Denise, Kim and Kathy on the opposite side of the road.

They watched for a while longer as a sofa and then a dining table were carried up the path and into the house. The woman didn't leave the building, but a taxi drew up and a second figure emerged with another two children. They hurried inside as though they were purposely avoiding allowing anyone to catch a glimpse of them.

Jack paused in his jog around the Square, leaning against the entrance to the gardens and taking the chance to stretch. Denise merely shrugged when he asked if she knew who was moving in, but Karen was quick to jump in and offer what she knew.

"Right stuck up cow, she is." The woman informed him, jerking her thumb towards the house. "I were just being friendly and she told me that she didn't need to be shown round because she probably knew her way round this place better than me."

"She a local, is she?" Kathy asked, intrigued by the other woman's words. "We probably know her, then?"

"Gobby blonde with about five kids by the looks of it." Karen continued, unimpressed. Privately everyone thought that the comment was a bit rich coming from her, but they said nothing.

"Gobby blonde covers about half the Square." Linda pointed out with a shrug, arriving in time to catch the comment. "What are we talking about?"

"Yourself included?" Jack teased her before answering her question. He shook his head and sighed, nodding towards the men unloading the van. "Apparently whoever's bought number 43's from around here."

"D'you reckon it's the same person that's bought The Albert?"

"Come again?"

Kim nodded. "Yeah, it's been sold alright. There's men round there now gutting the place."

"Right... It's freezing out here. I'd better get back to the pub." Linda rubbed her arms, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Yeah, I'd better get back to the kids," Jack agreed, "let me know if you find out who it is, eh?"

* * *

"We're out of milk." Glenda informed her granddaughter, shaking the empty bottle at her as she entered the kitchen.

Katy sighed. "Already?" When Glenda just shrugged, the young woman nodded and grabbed her purse off the counter. "I'll go and get some, then. You alright with the kids?"

"Course. Are you going to the Minute Mart?"

"No," Katy shook her head vehemently. She wasn't ready to walk out onto the Square and bump into anyone yet. She also thought that it would probably be best if she went to see Jack in person before he found out she was there from someone who wasn't her. "I'll go down the High Street. Do we need anything else?"

"We could probably do with some more bread." The older woman said, wrinkling her nose. "The kids will probably all want toast in the morning."

"OK. I'll be as quick as I can."

"Take your coat." Glenda ordered, sending her granddaughter a stern frown as Katy made to leave through the backdoor without it. "It's freezing out there. I'm not dealing with another month in hospital because you were stupid enough to catch a chill."

Rolling her eyes fondly, the brunette grabbed a jacket and her hat. Instinctively, she pressed a kiss to her grandmother's cheek as she made her way outside. She would never admit it, but she was grateful for Glenda's fussing. Not only did it go some way to filling the gap that her mother's death had left behind but it also reminded her that, somehow, they had built their way up to they place where they were now. They were almost a normal family. Almost.

Keeping her head down, she strode up Bridge Street in the direction of the tube. A quick ride down to the High Street and she'd be back without bumping into anyone she knew. Katy smiled tightly at the night attendant on the platform, before stepping onto the train and swinging herself into a seat in the empty carriage.

Katy had phoned Ritchie Scott in the summer and asked her to keep an eye open for any commercial or residential lots coming on the market in Albert Square. She decided that they'd been away from Walford and their family for long enough and it was time to invest some of the money she'd been left. Combining what she'd received in the wills of her mother and Roxy, Archie and Peggy, she was more than able to buy the house and The Albert when Ritchie had told her about them.

As she'd hoped, Katy managed to make it to the supermarket and back to the house without bumping into anyone. She smiled at her eldest daughter as she entered the kitchen, laughing when Ruby gabbled excitedly about their new home.

"It's so cool. Granny has got her own bit down here and we've got a whole huge bit upstairs!"

"I know, angel." Katy laughed, tapping her gently on the nose. "I did buy the house, you know."

After spending the past two years on top of each other in their tiny three-bedroom cottage, Glenda and Katy had decided that the layout of Number 43 would work perfectly for them. Katy and the children would have the larger, two-storey flat upstairs while Glenda would live on the ground floor. They would be close enough to spend as much time together as they were used to, but have a bit of privacy as well.

"Does Dad know about our new house?" Ruby asked innocently, leaning both her elbows on the kitchen table and watching her mother unpack Glenda's shopping.

Katy stiffened. "I sent the address to Grandpa Eddie."

"When can we see Grandad Jack and Amy and Ricky?"

"Soon, baby." She promised lightly, turning and pressing a kiss to the top of Ruby's head.

Picking up the rest of the shopping, she held out her hand to her eldest daughter. They made their way up to their flat where Glenda was looking after Matthew and the twins. Sending her granddaughter a fond smile, Glenda stood up and took the bags out of her hand.

"You sit down, darling." She ordered, handing her the glass of wine that had been poured ready. "All three bathed and already in bed. Ruby, off you go; pyjamas and teeth."

"But I'm not even tired!" The seven-year-old complained.

"Now."

"Only if you promise I can see Grandad Jack in the morning."

Katy sighed deeply. "Fine. I promise."

With a beaming smile, her daughter bounced away, leaving her mother and great-grandmother alone. Glenda looked at Katy carefully, shaking her head when she realised what the young woman was planning to do.

"Katherine, you can't–"

"I knew I needed to speak to him soon. If he finds out we're here before I tell him he'll be devastated." She glanced towards the stairs. "How long d'you reckon we can keep those four under wraps before he realises we're back?"

"It's late. At least wait until the morning."

Katy shot her a look. "It's not _that_ late, Gran. It's better to get it over and done with. At least it'll give him the chance to calm down before tomorrow if he kicks off."

It was a dark, blustery night and Katy would much rather have taken Glenda's advice and waited until the morning, but instead she found herself crossing the Square to stand on the doorstep of a house she hadn't seen for the best part of two years. Somehow, though, even the inviting glow from behind the drawn curtains of the front room wasn't enough to make her feel any less uneasy about actually knocking on the door.

When the door opened, Jack stared at her as though he'd seen a ghost. "_Ron_?"

In the dim light cast on her from the hallway, the resemblance between the young woman and her late mother was startling, especially with Katy's bleached hair. Jack reached out and took a strand of the blonde locks between his fingers, gazing at it in confusion.

She swallowed thickly. "Actually, it's Katy… Hi, Dad."

Jack stared at her for a long time. It was painfully awkward and Katy was starting to regret her decision to come. She'd been thinking about making a trip to visit Albert Square for months, but kept finding reasons to put it off and stay far away. Now she had run out of excuses.

"I'm sorry, I… it's been so long." She told him, rubbing her upper arm anxiously. "I thought maybe it would be better if I stayed away."

"You just left." Jack reminded her, angrily. She nodded, hanging her head and knowing that she deserved whatever he threw at her. "You packed your bags while we were at the funeral and you just left! We had no idea where you were. You never answered our calls? If it wasn't for Glenda we wouldn't have found out that you were still in the country at all."

"I know." She agreed with a weak, apologetic smile. "I just… I was so angry about Mum and Aunty Roxy that I couldn't bear to even look at you. And the funeral? I love Mum, god knows I do, but what about Rox? It was like she didn't even exist? How could you be so cruel?"

"Katy–"

"Jack?" A voice from inside the house reminded the pair that they were not alone and everyone in earshot was probably listening to their increasingly loud conversion. "What's going on?"

"I'll only be a minute." He called back over his shoulder, pulling the door closed behind him.

"Who's that?"

Jack pushed his hands into his pockets, looking a little guilty for a moment. Then he frowned and held his hands up, palms facing his daughter, fixing her with a defensive scowl. "Mel. She's… you can't expect me to be a hermit, especially after you abandoned me and the kids."

"Abandoned?" Katy laughed incredulously, her anger rising at the accusation. "I never _abandoned_ them. They had my number… I speak to Amy and Ricky every week." When her father looked surprised she frowned. "You didn't know?"

"No, I didn't know!"

"They used to give me messages from you…" Katy murmured, her heart sinking slightly as the truth dawned on her. She'd thought that Jack would be pleased to see her, from the comments her brother and sister had made, but now was starting to fear that wasn't the case. "When I was ill–"

At once Jack lurched forward, gripping her upper arms tightly. Concern was written all over his face as he stared into her eyes. "The cancer? Are you alright? How bad was it? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you knew… Amy said…"

"We've already established that Amy wasn't exactly telling either of us the full story." Jack pointed out bluntly. "So? How are you? You should have phoned me."

"I'm sorry, I… I thought you didn't…" Katy said with a shrug. "I spent all of last March in hospital with an infection and then… in September they thought the cancer had come back."

Jack ran his hands through his hair. "Katy… why didn't you phone me? Why didn't you come home?"

She shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "I… I couldn't."

"So, the cancer? Is it back? How are you? Katy… talk to me!"

Katy shook her head, pulling her coat more tightly around herself. "No. It was a false alarm. They were talking about the possibility of me needing a transplant and Gran insisted on being tested, but she wasn't a match anyway. They pushed for finding a familial match, but I refused to get the kids tested… I don't want any of them going through that… especially as I'm clear."

"At the moment." He frowned at her. "I'll tell the hospital I want to be tested, just in case. Surely we'd be a match? I mean; I'm your dad. Katy, I want to be your donor if you need one."

"That's not why I came here." The young woman said, frowning and stepping backwards. "I can't ask you to do that."

"I know." Jack's eyes slipped closed at her words, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "I want to. If I could help you get better… I'm glad you came, sweetheart."

"Really?"

Katy looked so unsure of herself that her father felt something inside him shatter. He stepped forward and gathered the young woman into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest and resting his cheek against the top of her head. Katy balled her hands into fists, resting them against his back for a moment, before her resolve cracked and the damn inside her broke. One soft, unintentional sob escaped her, before she broke down in tears.

Patiently murmuring soothing nonsense into her hair, Jack waited until her tears had subsided before pulling back and looking at her seriously. "How bad would it be, love?"

"Pretty bad." Katy replied softly, finally meeting his eyes. "There was a lot to take in and I… Gran had to come to my appointments because I just couldn't… they said that if the cancer did come back, chemotherapy only had a small chance of curing me again. Having a transplant isn't a guarantee, either. If they managed to do the transplant successfully, but it didn't cure me or I relapsed again…" She trailed off, taking a deep breath. Letting her eyes slip closed for a moment, she opened them and fixed Jack with an almost pleading expression. "I want to come home. Please. I'm sorry."

"Of course." Jack nodded, dragging her into tight hug and pressing several kisses to her temple. "You don't need to ask. You _never_ need to ask." He continued to whisper muffled assurances and promises into her hair as fresh tears soaked the front of his sweater. Finally, pulling away gently, he looked at her carefully. "Come in for a cuppa?"

Nodding, Katy followed him into the house. She tensed at the familiarity of it all, the photographs of her family catching her eye and reminding her of everything they'd lost.

"Where's your _friend_?" She asked in a biting tone, accepting the mug that he passed her.

"She's gone home. I told her you were here and that we needed to talk."

"So? Is it serious?"

"We're friends." Jack emphasised. "Mel's been through a lot lately."

"Dad, I didn't expect you to stay single. Mum's… if Mum's gone…. I do want you to be happy, you know."

"I know that, sweetheart. I just… Ronnie was…"

"I know."

He smiled weakly, taking a long drink from his mug before turning back to face his daughter with a relaxed smile on his face. "So, how long are you staying for? Where are Tyler, Glenda and the kids?"

"They're at home… here, on the Square. I bought Number 43."

Jack looked stunned for a moment, before he grinned delightedly. "Ahh, so _you're_ the gobby blonde."

"Eh?" Katy looked offended.

"Karen Taylor said she spoke to a gobby blonde while you were moving in."

She grinned. "Not me, must have been Gran. She'll be thrilled with that description." Then she frowned. "Who's Karen Taylor?"

"Her and her kids live in 23B." Jack said. "To be honest, gobby blonde is a pretty accurate description of Karen."

Katy laughed. "Glad to see nothing much has changed around here. Anything else I should know?"

Jack rubbed his forehead thoughtfully, before dropping his hand and looking at her sadly. "Abi…"

"I know." Katy nodded. "Lauren told me."

"Someone's bought The Albert." He announced, pulling himself out of his brooding and changing the subject abruptly. "Kim said they're gutting the place. Apparently whoever's got it is planning on stamping their mark on the place."

Katy grinned at him. "I am indeed."

"_You_ bought it?"

"Yeah, I finally put the money Archie left me to good use. I'm gonna rebrand and reopen it as R&R." She told him decisively. "Whit told me that the club was under new management and called something else. We've got to move on, but I don't want Mum and Roxy to be forgotten, Dad."

He considered her for a minute and then smiled proudly. "You are definitely your mother's daughter."

"Thanks."

"So, how can I help? What d'you need? Money?"

"We're fine, Dad, but thanks." Katy grinned at him. "A bit of babysitting every now and then would go down a treat, though. I feel bad asking Gran all the time."

"Of course. I bet you and Tyler could do with a bit of time on your own."

"Tyler… we split up." Katy informed him bluntly, clenching her jaw. "He left…"

"He did what?"

"He met someone else out in Spain when he was visiting Eddie. I don't blame Tyler really; between working and four kids I didn't have much time for him. When I got ill he decided he was going to stay and support us. Then I told him about my plans to come back here and open the bar." Katy shook her head. "He told me everything. I couldn't be angry with him and I couldn't stop him leaving. I'd rather he was happy with someone else than miserable with me and the kids."

"If he ever shows his face round here–"

"Dad, I'm OK." She promised, smiling weakly. "I promise."

Sighing, Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulders and Katy tucked herself into his side, wrapping her own arm around his waist and hugging him tightly. As he rested his chin on the top of her head, Jack wondered whether returning to the Square was the best thing for the young woman, no matter how pleased he was to see her.

"Dad, I can't–" Amy broke off as her eyes fell on her older sister. A broad, delighted smile appeared on her face and she rushed forward, throwing herself at the older woman. "Katy? What are you doing here? Are you coming home?"

"We are, angel." She agreed, meeting Jack's eyes over the little girl's head. "We're home."

* * *

_**AN: So... after seeing that Sean Slater is returning and has a fight with Jack by the graves this idea popped into my head. **_

_**Watch this space.**_

_**x**_


	2. Chapter 2

Their first few days back on Albert Square went past in a bit of a blur. Katy had decided to act as though she had never been away and, in that spirit, the only person other than her father that she'd specifically been to visit since her return to Walford was Dot.

The young woman had frowned as a middle aged man had thrown open the door of her grandmother's house and stared out at her. With an even deeper frown, she had asked whether Dot was in and, when he'd asked who wanted to know, Katy had taken an immediate dislike to him.

"Katy!" Dot had beamed as she pushed past him impatiently and stalked into the living room. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Grandma." Katy bent to press a kiss to her cheek, before settling herself beside the older woman on the sofa. "I'm back. _We're_ back."

"Oh, that's wonderful! I expect your father is pleased."

"He is." She agreed. Opening her mouth to ask how her grandmother was, Katy met the eyes of the man who had opened the front door and scowled. "Can we help you?"

"Oh, Katy, this is Stuart." Dot introduced him, smiling as the man moved forward with his hand outstretched and a grin on his face.

Katy looked him up and down, arching an eyebrow. "And you are?"

"Manners, Katherine." Dot chastised her immediately.

"Nah, she's alright." Stuart smiled. "It's good to know she's looking out for you." He moved to sit in the armchair. "Mrs Branning is very kindly letting me stay here for a while."

"Rent free?"

"Katherine!"

"Fine, fine!" Katy held her hands up at the scowl on her grandmother's face and sighed. "I'm sorry, this was just a fleeting visit, Grandma. I've got lots on, but I wanted to see you before you found out we were back from anyone else."

"I appreciate it."

"Ruby wanted to come with me, but I'm on my way to the bar, so– oh! I haven't told you. I bought The Albert on Turpin Road. I'm re-branding and re-opening it as R&R."

Dot smiled fondly. "Ronnie and Roxy would be so proud of you."

"I hope so." Katy replied softly. Then her expression turned serious and she briefly glanced in Stuart's direction. "If you need anything – and I mean _anything_ – you call me, Grandma, OK?"

"Thank you, Katy."

"I'll see you later."

Shooting the man another suspicious look, Katy left the house and headed in the direction of Turpin Road, making up her mind to find out as much about Dot's lodger as she could. The workmen were already at the bar when she arrived, waiting to bombard her with questions as soon as she stepped foot over the threshold.

Katy had a very clear vision of how she wanted her bar to be. Rubbing her temples as she listened to the electrician listing issue after issue. Vaguely wondering whether a bunch of cowboys had done the wiring the last time it was revamped, Katy stopped him mid-rant and shook her head.

"Just do what you have to do. But I really don't think that a complete rewire is necessary. I know that this place passed the inspection in 2016 when my uncle had it checked, so unless you're telling me that that report was wrong, I don't see how there could be this much of an issue now."

He stammered something about regulations, but Katy shook her head and informed him that she'd be getting a second opinion if that was the case. Furrowing his eyebrows, Katy heard him muttering about her under his breath as she strode away, moving to speak to the decorators about her revised plans.

"Are you sure you want the circular sink unit in the bathrooms?"

Katy nodded. "Yeah. It's the one my mum and aunt chose for their club. I want the same."

"But it makes the space–"

"I don't care. Take out a cubical if you have to."

"Right, and the main colour scheme?"

"Red and white, like I said, yeah?"

"Definitely no alterations? Gary's going to get started on the upstairs later."

"Fab." Katy grinned, glancing at the time on her phone. "I've got some suppliers and stuff to chase up. Is the office usable?"

"Yeah, should be no problem."

Smiling, she headed up the staircase, dodging workmen and tools alike until she reached the door that led into the office space. Although the situation she was currently in was one that she had been dreaming of and planning for a very long time, it was bittersweet because she had always imagined her mother and aunt as part of it.

"Mum?"

Katy glanced up, smiling at her daughter as she saw who was standing in the office doorway. The smile dropped slightly as she realised that the seven-year-old appeared to be alone. "Where's Granny?"

"I don't know. At home maybe?"

"Ruby!" Katy grabbed her phone and immediately dialled Glenda's number. "What have I told you? You can't just wander off whenever you feel like it." As the call was answered and her grandmother immediately started babbling apologetically, Katy sighed. "Relax, she's here. Yeah, I know. I know, Gran. It's not your fault. Yeah, alright… see you."

"I got bored."

Rubbing her forehead exasperatedly, Katy sighed and put her phone on the surface of her desk. She pointed towards the sofa in the corner of the office, arching an eyebrow at her daughter as Ruby rolled her eyes and flounced towards it.

"Ruby, you cannot just leave when you're bored. Granny was really worried about you." She explained, trying to stay calm. "It's dangerous for you to be wandering around without knowing where you are, or anyone else knowing either."

"Mum." She sighed deeply, as though she were the parent. "I did know where I was going. You brought us here yesterday, remember?"

"Of course I remember." Katy frowned at her. "But that's not the point."

"I just wanted to make sure you were OK. Granny said you were really tired."

"Oh, Rubes… I'm fine, baby, I promise." Her mother gathered her into a tight hug. "Honestly, I'm absolutely fine."

"But Granny said–"

"Ruby, Granny's just fussing again. I promise you I'm fine." She looked at her daughter sternly. "But I won't be fine if you wander off when Granny's supposed to be looking after you. What if something happened to you, angel? What would I do then?"

"Sorry, Mummy."

Katy sighed, pulling the little girl into her side. "Just don't do it again. Please."

"OK." Ruby peered up at her hopefully. "Can I stay here with you?"

Nodding, her mother pressed a kiss to the top of her head and walked back to her desk. She text her grandmother quickly, telling her that she'd keep Ruby at the bar until she went home, before turning back to the seven-year-old.

"It's gonna be boring." She warned her. "I've got paperwork to do."

"I can help you."

"It's all bills and boring things. I need to call some suppliers to order the stock for the opening." Katy furrowed her eyebrows; pausing to read an email from the company she'd ordered promotional fliers from. "It's… it's just gonna be really boring. Maybe I should call Granny…"

"No! I wanna stay with you. Please?"

"You're going to get bored."

"I won't."

Katy exhaled sharply. "Fine. But you'll have to be quiet."

The little girl grinned, flopping back against the sofa cushions and watching her mother as Katy turned her attention back to the email she was composing. With a soft smile as she met Ruby's eyes, Katy remembered sitting in a very similar position when she'd been much older than her daughter was now, watching Ronnie working on the club accounts or complaining about any number of suppliers or employees.

"I'm gonna be just like you when I grow up." Ruby told her determinedly, as though she could see where her thoughts had drifted.

"You should aim higher than this, sweetpea." Katy chuckled, remembering her own mother telling her something similar. "You can do whatever you want to."

"I want to do _this_."

Pretending to consider her for a moment, Katy nodded. "Well, in that case, I've got a really important job for you."

Ruby's face lit up. "What is it?"

"We need posters to advertise the opening." She sighed theatrically. "I don't know how people are going to know about the bar otherwise."

"I can do that!" The seven-year-old announced excitedly. "I can do a poster!"

"Can you? That would be amazing. You'd be doing me a massive favour, Rubes."

Grinning to herself, she scribbled down the information her daughter needed to copy down onto the poster and settled her with some paper and pens. As she returned her attention to her own work, she smiled fondly at Ruby's determination.

* * *

"Katherine? Is there anything else the girls need for school?" Glenda asked, keeping a firm hold of the reigns attached to her grandson and twin great-granddaughters. Katy laughed whenever her grandmother insisted on using them, but Glenda was adamant that it was the only way she would return with the same number of children as she left with. "I've got the uniforms and new shoes. Can you believe Matthew's gone up two sizes since October?"

"No, I can't." Katy replied and Glenda knew that she wasn't really listening. "They can use their old bags. I'm not buying new PE kits, either. Their old ones are fine."

"What about the t-shirts with the logos on?"

"OK, fine, new t-shirts, but that's it."

Glenda sighed, choosing her next words carefully. "Are you sure you want to invite your father over for dinner tonight? We've only just moved in, nothing's settled and you're so busy that–"

"Yes, Gran, tonight." Katy replied firmly. "I need you to ask him whether he and the kids can come over at about six."

"But–"

"Please… it's been so long. We're home now and I just want to move on."

Glenda nodded, letting her eyes slip closed for a moment. "You're right. We're almost home so I'll go straight over."

"Thank you."

Pushing her phone into her bag, Glenda directed the children towards Jack's house. Her frown deepened as they approached, the events of the last few months they'd lived there flooding her memory and sending a sharp pain straight to her heart. The children had no such hesitations about setting foot inside, excitedly banging on the door before Glenda could stop them.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Jack's voice reached them from inside and Glenda couldn't help a small smirk twisting her lips. "What do you–?"

"Hello, Jack."

"Glenda."

The tension between the pair was so palpable that even the children noticed it, looking up at Glenda as she stared at her son-in-law. A weak smile appeared on her face. Immediately Jack relaxed and allowed himself to smile back.

"It's good to see you."

Glenda chuckled. "Watch out, Jack. You'll be telling me you missed me, next."

"I wouldn't go quite that far," he admitted, "but it is good to see you."

"Grandad Jack!" Jess grinned at him delightedly, grabbing onto his leg.

"Hello, my princesses!" He beamed, scooping both twins into his arms and hugging them tightly. Crouching, he set them down and reached out to ruffle Matthew's hair. "Hi, buddy. How're you?"

"Is Amy here?" Jess asked. "And Ricky?"

"Yeah, they're upstairs. D'you wanna go see them?"

Nodding vehemently, all three children set off up the stairs as soon as their grandmother released them, the thundering of feet dying down as they reached their destination. Glenda glanced at Jack as they were left alone on the doorstop. She shrugged.

"They don't actually remember you, or Amy and Ricky."

Jack nodded slowly. "I missed them. I missed all of you."

"Katy wants you to come round for dinner tonight. At six. You and the kids."

"We'll be there."

"I'd better–"

"They can stay here… if you want? I'm sure you've got lots to get on with. Moving is a hassle."

Glenda smiled, genuinely grateful for the offer. "Thank you, Jack."

"See you at six."

Deciding to do as Jack had suggested, Glenda set about emptying the few remaining boxes in her flat. Standing back to survey her work, she smiled triumphantly, before glancing at the ceiling and sighing. Climbing the stairs, she let herself into Katy's flat and shook her head at the piled boxes littering the floor space. She didn't think her granddaughter had emptied a single box since she'd moved in.

Starting in the kitchen, she worked her way steadily through the boxes marked for there. If Katy was planning on cooking for the family, she would need things to do it with. Then Glenda paused, realising that her granddaughter was probably hoping that she would have dinner under control before she got home.

As she'd suspected, Katy appeared at quarter to six, laughing gently at Ruby who was chattering away about something or other. When her granddaughter smiled innocently and asked what was for dinner, Glenda swatted at her arm and rolled her eyes.

"Is Grandad Jack coming over?" Ruby asked hopefully, looking between the two women.

"He is." Her great-grandmother agreed, shooting Katy a look. "Now, go and watch TV or something while your mum and I have a conversation."

"Thank you." Katy mouthed at Glenda as Ruby skipped off to do as she was told.

"I also made dinner." Glenda continued, arching an eyebrow at the younger woman. When Katy just smiled sweetly back, she rolled her eyes. "I hate you."

"No you don't, Gran."


	3. Chapter 3

"I'll wash up." Katy said, chuckling as her grandmother nodded in agreement. "Gran, can you put the kids to bed?"

"We should get going." Jack said, glancing over to where Ricky, Amy and Ruby were playing with their video games.

"They'll be OK for a while." His daughter said, nudging him with her hip.

"They have school tomorrow."

"So does Ruby." Katy pointed out.

Jack frowned, following her into the kitchen. "You've got her into Walford Primary already?"

"Sorted it before we came. Matthew and the twins have got a place at the nursery, too." Seeing him open his mouth to ask more questions, she smiled. "And I've registered us at the doctor's. We're all set."

"You've grown up a lot since you left."

"Didn't really have a choice, Dad." She pointed out, smiling wryly. Catching the expression on his face, she shook her head. "I know it was my own fault. I don't regret leaving. I just… I missed you."

"I missed you too." Jack told her, pulling her into a tight hug. When they broke apart, he looked conflicted for a moment, before rummaging in his jacket pocket and holding out an envelope in Katy's direction. "This came for you a couple of days after the funeral. I didn't know where you were, whether you'd ever come home, but I felt like I needed to keep it safe, in case."

Drying her hands quickly, his daughter turned and looked at him with a frown. "What is it? Who's it from?"

He shrugged. "No idea. I didn't open it."

Warily, Katy took the envelope and looked at it carefully. She didn't recognise the writing, but she did recognise that it had been sent from Ibiza. Her immediate guess was that it was from her mother and aunt's business partner, Carlos, and her heart sank as she remembered that his son was the twins' biological father. She wondered whether he had found out about them somehow and wanted contact with them.

"Are you gonna open it?" Her father prompted, impatiently. Clearly holding onto it for two years had made him curious.

"Not right now." She said with a shrug, pushing it into her pocket. "I'll read it later. If it's anything important I'll let you know." She smiled weakly. "Thanks for keeping it for me."

They finished the washing up in silence and then Jack decided that it really was time to take Amy and Ricky home. They hugged their sister tightly, demanding that she took them to school in the morning. Laughing softly, Katy promised that she would be there first thing to pick them up.

"It'll be just like when you used to take me to school because Mummy was busy." Amy said, grinning broadly.

"Yeah… yeah, baby, it will." Katy agreed, the mention of her aunt causing a sharp pain in her chest. "So… half eight?"

"Great, thanks Katy." Jack agreed, the same sadness in his eyes as he leant in to press a kiss to her cheek.

Leaning against the doorframe and watching them cross the Square, Katy pulled her cardigan more tightly around herself. Glenda squeezed Ruby's shoulder and smiled down at her. Shooting her granddaughter a look she turned them both away from the door.

"Come on, darling, we should get inside before Mummy gets cold. Bedtime, hmm?"

Ruby nodded without argument, scampering inside and up the stairs. Katy glanced sideways at her grandmother and sighed, shaking her head as they went inside and closed the front door behind them.

"I'm OK." Katy promised, nodding and patting Glenda on the shoulder. "I'm OK."

"You want me to…?"

The younger woman nodded gratefully and wandered into the living room. She looked around, wishing there was still some washing up to do to distract her from the memories that her sister's words had dragged up. She had known that coming back to Walford would mean dealing with things that she had forced down, but she had thought she wouldn't find it quite as tough as she evidently was.

"I'm popping over to the Vic." Glenda announced, poking her head around the door and smiling. "We could ask Dot to come and babysit if you fancy joining me?"

Katy smiled weakly and shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm exhausted."

"Alright, darling. I won't be too long. Shall I look in on you when I get back?"

"Yeah, please." Her granddaughter's smile grew brighter, especially when Glenda just nodded and backed out of the flat.

Despite the fact that both Glenda and Katy had agreed that separate flats – albeit in the same building – were a good idea to allow them some privacy, the reality of being on her own wasn't one that Katy liked. She hadn't been on her own since she'd moved to Walford at seventeen and she had quickly realised that she didn't actually like having her own space after all. Glenda hadn't made a big deal out of her granddaughter's need for company, which made Katy think she was just as lonely on her own.

The letter that Jack had given her had been burning a hole in her pocket since he'd handed it over. Katy had resolutely avoided opening it until the girls and Matthew were safely tucked up in bed and fast asleep. She glanced towards the door living room door for a moment, checking that there was no chance of any of the children interrupting her, before pulling it out and looking at it closely.

The writing on the envelope was just as unfamiliar on second glance as it had been earlier that evening. Sliding her finger under the flap and ripping it open, she pulled the folded sheet of paper out and furrowed her eyebrows at the realisation that it was typed. Immediately her eyes moved to the bottom of the page, looking to see who had sent it, but grew even more confused when she realised that there was no name. Flipping it over, she looked at the back, but still couldn't find any clue as to who had sent the letter.

_Thursday January 19__th__ 2017_

_Katy,_

_I know you'll be struggling with the events of the last few weeks, but you should know better than anyone that things aren't always as bleak as they might seem. _

_Don't give up; don't give in to the darkness even though it might feel like the only option. It's always with you, but you're stronger that anyone ever gives you credit for. You need to _stay_ strong. Fight. Keep fighting until you get through to the other side._

_You are so loved. Remember that. _

_You'll do great things, of that I have no doubt._

At the bottom was a mobile number. With shaking hands, Katy immediately dialled it and held her phone to her ear, chewing her lip as she waited impatiently for the call to be answered. Within seconds, however, she slammed the handset onto the coffee table as a message telling her that the number was no longer in use dashed all her hopes that she would finally have some answers.

She was still reading the letter over and over again when her grandmother let herself into the flat. Glenda was chattering about something or other, several names tumbling out in quick succession, and didn't instantly notice what Katy was doing.

"What's that?" She asked, finally spotting the paper in Katy's hand.

"A letter… I… I think it's from Mum."

"Katherine?" Plucking it from her hands, she ran her eyes over it quickly, before turning her confused gaze on the younger woman. "Why would you think this is from Veronica? It could be from anyone. It's not even signed."

"I just _know_, Gran. I know it's from her." She shook her head and reclaimed the letter. "She's trying to tell me she's still alive. _They're_ still alive… I know it. I _told_ you they couldn't really be gone!"

"Katherine… Katy." Glenda looked at her sadly, reaching out and cupping her cheek gently. "Veronica and Roxanne died. You know that. They're not coming back." She sighed deeply. "There's no way this can be from your mother. She didn't know she was going to die… she couldn't have even got someone to send this to you afterwards. It's just… it's someone trying to mess with you or… I don't know!"

"Gran, please believe me. I know Mum. I know that this is her."

"Enough now, Katy. That's enough. Please… it's enough."

"I… I'm sorry, Gran. I know you… I'm sorry."

Glenda sighed again. "Where did you get it, anyway?"

"Dad kept it for me."

Biting down her frustrations with her son-in-law, Glenda simply nodded and changed the subject. She asked whether her granddaughter minded if she went back out to rejoin Kathy at the pub. Katy shrugged disinterestedly, still slightly confused about the odd friendship that seemed to have been kindled between the two women.

Shooting the young woman a final glance, worry coursing through her as she watched Katy reading the letter yet again, Glenda headed out of the house and across the Square. She pulled her coat around her more tightly, hammering on the front door of her son-in-law's house.

"Why the hell did you give Katy that letter?" Glenda demanded the second Jack opened the front door. She pushed her way inside and stood with her arms folded across her chest and scowled at him. "You do realise she now thinks it's definitive proof that her mother and Roxanne are still alive?"

"What?" Jack stared at her, completely aghast. "Why the hell would she–?"

"That letter was _apparently_ from Veronica and referenced the funeral." She told him angrily. "Katy's been convinced that they're still alive since she thought she saw Roxanne in Tesco."

Jack blinked at her in complete bewilderment. "What are you going on about?"

"About two months after we moved, Katy came home one night absolutely convinced that she'd seen Roxanne in Tesco. She wouldn't see sense and dragged me out to look for her. Obviously there was no sign of her but since then Katy's been so sure that they're not really dead."

"She can't still believe that? It's been two years." He pointed out bluntly. "Did you take her to see someone?"

"No I did not." Glenda sounded affronted at the very idea. "She doesn't need to go and _see someone_. You've seen her; she's a businesswoman, she's a mother and she's fantastic at both those things, despite everything else that's going on in her life."

"You don't need to tell me that. She's _my_ daughter."

"Maybe you need to remember that, then."

"I never forgot. I didn't even know she was planning to leave Walford. If I'd have known I would have–"

"No, Jack." Glenda held up a hand to stop him, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You might not have had a choice in the matter, but you weren't the one sitting up with her at night when she was crying with the pain. You weren't holding her hair back when she was too weak to do anything but sit beside the toilet. You didn't have to convince Matthew and the girls that everything was alright when Katy was rushed into hospital with infections or queries over her test results. My daughter is–"

"Katy is not _your_ daughter, Glenda."

There was a long silence. Glenda blinked in confusion, taken aback by her own words. Nodding silently, she opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, before realising that there was nothing she could say to correct her slip up without making it sound worse.

"Just… don't mention I told you about her thinking she saw Roxanne."

"I'm not indulging the delusion that they're still alive, Glenda." Jack told her firmly. "They're gone. They're gone and they're not coming back and she needs to accept that."

"You think I don't know that, Jack?" She retorted. "My daughters are gone and the only thing holding my granddaughter together most of the time is this bizarre belief that they're not really dead. Those first two months after we left… they were awful. But then she thought she saw Roxanne and everything just seemed to click back into place."

"I'm still not going to let her believe it's true."


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh my god! Katy bleedin' Mitchell?"

Katy grinned at the familiar voice and turned to look at the woman who had spoken. She couldn't take a single step towards Tina before the older woman had pulled her into a tight hug and was squealing delightedly in her ear. Laughing, Katy disentangled herself and tried to work out what she was saying.

"Shirl is gonna be so pleased to see you! Sonia mentioned you'd told Dot you were planning on coming back. Is it for good? Or are you just visiting? You've got to come and have a drink!"

"You try stopping me." The Mitchell agreed with a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm sticking around… I bought the bar over on Turpin Road. I bet Shirl won't be so thrilled about that."

Tina laughed. "We wondered who bought it. What you doing with it? Looks like you're having a load of work done."

Katy nodded. "Yeah, having a bit of a remodel and rebrand. It's pretty much a building site at the moment. I'm planning to open it at the end of March, so it's a full time job keeping the guys on task!"

"You've had a bit of a remodel and rebrand yourself." Tina joked, arching an eyebrow. She reached out and grasped Katy by the shoulders, peering at her for a moment, before spinning her on the spot. "Going blonde was a smart move. You look exactly like your Mum and she was _hot_."

Laughing again, Katy slapped her on the shoulder. "Leave it out, T."

"Seriously, though, it suits you."

"Thanks."

"So, that drink?"

"I'll catch you later." The younger woman sighed, glancing at the time on her phone. "I've gotta collect the kids, but I might be able to convince Gran to babysit later."

"Yeah, you make sure you do." Tina pointed at her as she backed away towards the Vic. "The first one's on me."

"I'll hold you to that." Katy called after her, grinning and heading in the direction of Walford Primary.

A feeling of anticipation washed over her as she made the journey that had once been so familiar to her. It had been a long time since she'd done the school run here; long enough to feel uncomfortable about it, but not long enough that she would have been forgotten by the other parents that would be hanging around by the classroom doors.

She had timed it so that she would arrive just as the bell was ringing, meaning that she wouldn't have to wait too long for the children. Starting at the year 3 classroom, she smiled weakly at the other parents, tamping down the urge to glare at anyone sending her a curious look, before beaming at her daughter and brother as they surged through the door towards her.

Laughing as Ruby immediately started chattering about her day, barely allowing Ricky to get a word in edgeways, they made their way around to collect Amy from her class, before she herded them towards the nursery. Thanking the teacher who ushered Matthew and the twins towards her, Katy snapped the reins onto the three youngest, while ordering the older three children to grab a hand each.

"Mummy…" Katy sighed, recognising her daughter's tone immediately. "You know when you open R&R… can I come too?"

"It'll be too late for you, baby." Her mother replied. "You'll be fast asleep."

"I can come, though, can't I, Katy?"

"No, Amy." Katy arched an eyebrow at her. "You'll be in bed, too."

"That's not fair! I want to go, too."

"It's entirely fair. I'm the one who's putting all the hard work into getting it ready for the opening." The young woman pointed out in amusement. "If you deal with the suppliers and the stupid contractors, then I'll let you come to the opening."

"OK, I can do that." Amy nodded decisively.

Katy looked at her for a moment and then pulled a face. "I totally believe you could. Dad would kill me, though, so I'm afraid it's no deal, kid."

"That's so unfair!"

"That's life."

As Amy stropped off to walk a couple of paces in front of her sister, dragging Jessica with her, Katy thought carefully about what she had said. Opening the bar as the R&R was all about honouring Ronnie and Roxy's memories and keeping their legacy alive. Amy and the others were all part of that legacy, too. Katy fully intended to keep the bar going, build the business if she could, until Amy was old enough to join her if that was what she wanted.

"OK, here's what we'll do." She announced as she caught up with Amy and Jessica as they waited for the others at the crossing. "You can't come to the official opening, because it'll be far too late and there'll be too many people–"

"Hopefully." Amy said, shooting her a look that made her seem far older than her ten years.

"Yes, hopefully." Katy rolled her eyes at her sister. "So yeah, far too late and too many people." Seeing that Amy was about to interrupt again, she held up a hand. "So, what we'll do is have an pre-official opening the same day."

"What's that?" Ricky asked, frowning at her.

Amy pouted. "That's not a thing."

"It is; I just made it up." Katy poked her tongue out. "You'll get to come to the bar and have a party before anyone else."

The three children considered the proposal while they waited for the lights at the crossing to change. None of them spoke as they waited for Katy to nod, before crossing to the other side of the road. Katy was waiting for them to throw more arguments or suggestions her way but, to her immense surprise, Amy simply nodded her approval.

"That sounds fair."

"Yeah? Good, because that's the only offer you're getting."

* * *

"Of course I'll babysit!" Glenda agreed instantly, smiling broadly at her granddaughter. "You need to get out and enjoy yourself more often. I'll babysit whenever you want, darling."

"I'll be out a lot once the bar's open." Katy pointed out, grabbing an armful of clean washing from the back of the sofa. "You're going to end up regretting that offer."

"Yes, well, your father will have to pull his weight, too."

Katy chuckled, unsurprised that her grandmother would have a comeback for that. "If you're sure you don't mind? I'm only going for a couple of drinks over the Vic."

"Take as long as you like."

Pausing for a moment, Katy smiled and dropped the washing into the basket. She pressed a kiss to Glenda's cheek and thanked her, before grabbing her purse and jacket and heading for the door.

While she had been avoiding bumping into anyone since they'd moved back to Walford, Katy decided that an evening in the Vic should be enough to get reacquainted with most of those she'd left behind two years earlier. She'd tried to get hold of Whitney, but the younger woman hadn't replied to her messages. Bumping into her in the pub wasn't the way Katy really wanted to let her friend know they were back, but beggers couldn't be choosers.

The Vic was exactly as she had pictured it in her mind. It still had the same, slightly stale smell that Katy remembered so well. The atmosphere was relaxed and familiar and memories, both bad and good, rushed at her as the doors swung closed behind her. A soft smile appeared on her lips as she looked around. It felt like home.

"Katy!" Whitney's eyes widened and she rushed around the bar to wrap her arms around her friend with an excited squeal. "Oh my god! What are you _doing_ here? Why didn't you say you were coming? How long have you been blonde?"

"I bloody well did tell you, Whitney Dean." Katy laughed, pulling back and mock frowning at her. "Apparently you're far too busy to reply to my messages."

"Sorry…" She winced guiltily. "So how long are you back for? Are the kids with you?"

"We're back for good, Whit." Katy told her with a grin. "I've bought Number 43 and the bar on Turpin Road. I'm gonna reopen it as soon as it's ready."

"No way! That's amazing!"

"Thanks, babe."

As she propelled Katy over to a free booth, keen to catch up on all the gossip, Tina spotted them and, true to her word, appeared with drinks and dropped onto the bench beside her. Katy grinned and accepted her drink, immediately drawing the older woman into their conversation.

After a while, Shirley wandered over and grinned. "Fancy seeing you here, Mitchell. Tina says your back for good."

"I am." She tilted her head and appraised the older blonde. "You're looking good, Shirl."

"So are you. How's the cancer?" Tina and Whitney both gasped, turning wide-eyed to stare at Shirley after her question. Her sister nudged her in the side and shook her head at her. "What?"

"It's not great, to be honest. Still hanging around trying to take me down." Katy shrugged, taking a long drink and not meeting anyone's eyes. "But it hasn't managed so far, so… my last set of tests results were more positive, though. I've got enough going on to keep my mind off it."

"Ah, yeah… that's something else I wanted to talk to you about." Shirley said, narrowing her eyes playfully.

Katy laughed. "The Vic did alright when The Albert was open. It'll be exactly the same when I open the R&R."

"You're calling it the R&R?"

"Yeah… what else would I call it?"

"They'd love it, K." Whitney told her seriously, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "They'd be so proud of you."

"Thanks." The blonde smiled at her, before leaning back in her seat and turning the conversation round to all the goings on that she'd missed while she'd been away.

"Hey, you ain't mentioned Tyler at all?" Tina realised suddenly, peering at Katy over the top of her glass. "Where is he?"

"Spain." She shrugged. "We split up."

That confession seemed to put the dampener on the evening. Their conversation was interrupted every so often by someone coming over to speak to Katy. She smiled and answered their questions as briefly as she could, gritting her teeth as most of them referenced her mother and aunt's deaths or Tyler's absence.

After a short while, Shirley and Tina were called over by Linda to help behind the bar and Whitney's boyfriend appeared. He was nice enough and seemed to worship the young woman, so Katy decided she approved.

Leaving them to their drinks, the Mitchell said goodnight and headed across the Square. Glenda asked how her evening had been, before asking whether Katy minded if she popped out for a while. Shaking her head and pressing a kiss to the older blonde's cheek, her granddaughter told her to have a good time.

Only a few minutes had passed before the buzzer sounded and Katy moved to see who was outside. When Whitney's voice sounded over the intercom she smiled softly and pressed the button to let her in.

"Thought you could use this after today." Whitney said, holding up a bottle of wine and smiling as Katy opened the door.

"You couldn't be more right."

Squeezing her arm affectionately, Whitney followed Katy into the kitchen and perched on one of the chairs at the table as the blonde hunted for wine glasses in the cupboard. She made a mental note to thank Glenda for unpacking, before emerging triumphantly with a glass in each hand.

"So, wanna talk about Tyler?"

"Not really." Katy shrugged. "Tell me about Callum. He seems like a great guy."

Whitney didn't need any more encouragement to talk about her boyfriend. She happily launched into a story while Katy poured the wine and led the way back to the living room. Listening lazily, the Mitchell nodded along with the stories her friend was telling her, interjecting when necessary and enjoying being back in Whitney's company.

"Whit…" Katy chewed her lip, wondering how her friend was going to react to what she was about to tell her. "This is going to sound completely mad, right, but… I think…"

"What?"

"I got this letter." She moved across to the dresser and pulled the envelope Jack had given her out of the drawer. "Dad saved it for me. Read it and tell me what you think… who you think sent it."

Whitney nodded slowly, her eyebrows furrowed as she pulled the letter out. She read over it quickly and frowned as she realised what Katy must be thinking. The young woman didn't want to completely dash her friend's hopes, but she couldn't see how Katy's mother could possibly have sent the letter.

"K…" She started slowly. "You want this to be from Ronnie, don't you?"

"Who else would have sent that?"

"Babe, your mum is dead."

"Is she?" Katy shook her head. "Tell me that this isn't exactly the sort of thing Mum would do. She'd try and contact me if she wasn't dead, right?"

Whitney looked a little confused. "Well yeah… of course she would, but… Jack saw her body in the chapel of rest, didn't he? We were all at the funeral? The police were there at the hotel. _They_ told you she was dead."

"I…" Katy couldn't help but feel her hope slipping a little at her friend's words. "Whitney, I just…"

"I know, babe." She pulled the blonde into a sideways hug, closing her eyes as she felt the pain radiating off her. "I wish she was still alive – I wish they were _both_ still alive – but they're not. I dunno who sent this, but I really don't think it was Ronnie."

A scuffling sound outside the living room door caught their attention and Katy glanced over, wiping her eyes and smiling softly at the figure of her sleep, still half-asleep daughter in the doorway. Holding out her hand, she beckoned Ruby over, scooping her onto her lap and kissing the top of her head as the seven-year-old snuggled into her.

"You remember Aunty Whitney, right Rubes?" She asked gently, smoothing down her hair and tucking it behind her ear.

The little girl shook her head. "Nope. But you used to talk about her and Aunty Lauren all the time and there were loads of photos."

"You've got so grown up!" Whitney told her with a bright smile. "And you're so pretty!"

"Mumma says I look like Grandma."

"You really do."

"It's 'cos I'm blonde." Ruby informed her seriously. "I used to have brown hair when I was little, like the twins, but it's gone blonde now. Mum's dyed her hair blonde too, like me and Grandma and Granny Glenda."

Chuckling at her daughter, Katy shook her head and stood up, pulling Ruby with her. "Come on, you, back to bed. Say goodnight to Aunty Whit."

"Goodnight, Aunty Whit." Ruby repeated obediently.

Signalling that she'd only be a couple of minutes, Katy ushered her eldest daughter out of the room and back to the bedroom. Careful not to wake the others, she tucked Ruby in and pressed a kiss to her forehead, watching as she fell back to sleep almost immediately. Looking at her for a moment, Katy exhaled softly, before leaving the room and re-joining her friend.

"She's gorgeous, babe." Whitney told her genuinely, holding out the refilled glass of wine in her direction.

"She's not bad." Katy agreed with a chuckle. "I never thought I'd manage to raise such a mature, sensible kid."

"I never doubted it."

"So… R&R."

Whitney furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, wondering what Katy was getting at. She wasn't at all surprised that her friend seemed to want to forget their previous conversation. "What about it?"

"I'm gonna need staff when we open." Katy pointed out. "Who better to be my right hand woman than my best friend?"

"Me?"

"Who else, Whit? I trust you."

"I dunno…" She bit her lip thoughtfully. "I mean, Mick and Linda have been so good to me. It feels a bit like I'd be betraying them."

Katy's face fell slightly, but she quickly schooled her features and smiled. "I get that. I'm not asking you to betray the Carters. But the Vic's always done fine even with the bar and club open."

"Can I think about it?"

"Course." She nodded, squeezing her arm. "Take as long as you want."


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Thank you Leah and Bonnie Sveen Fan for your reviews! They always make me smile :)**_

* * *

The next morning was chaotic, even by Katy's standards. No sooner had she arrived home after dropping the children off at school and nursery than she received a phone call from the school asking her to go and pick Ricky up. Asking why they'd called her rather than Jack got her snappy comment that they had tried to ring him and got no answer.

By the time they arrived back in Albert Square, Ricky had perked up and was practically bouncing with energy. She sighed, ushering him inside and resigning herself to working from home until Glenda returned from wherever she'd disappeared off to or Jack reappeared.

"Katy? Can we go to the park?"

"No." She frowned at him. "You're supposed to be ill."

"Well can I have chips for dinner, then?"

"No!"

"That's so unfair!"

"You are supposed to be ill." Katy reminded him, arching an eyebrow. "Unless you want me to take you back to school and tell them you're faking it, you can pipe down right now. Watch some telly or something like a normal kid skiving off."

There was a long pause. Katy thought she would be able to get a few things done, but before she had managed to read a single email she was aware of her brother's presence beside her. With a deep sigh, she turned her attention on the eight-year-old.

"What?"

"Where's Dad?"

"Hmmm?"

"I heard them calling him, but then he didn't answer so they called you."

"Oh, he's working, sweetheart." His older sister assured him gently. "He'll be round soon enough. 'Til then, you can hang out with me, OK?"

He nodded and retreated to the sofa with the remote. Katy didn't have the heart to tell him to turn the volume down, thinking about the expression on his face when he'd told her that Jack hadn't answered the school's calls. She knew that expression; it was the face of someone who was wondering whether they had been left completely on their own.

Chewing on her lip, Katy decided to bombard her father with texts until he finally got back to her. She doubted whether it would have any effect, but it was worth a try. Either way, Jack would be highly annoyed by the time he came to pick Ricky up.

Finally she got bored of texting without hearing anything back. Katy made Ricky lunch, abandoning work in favour of watching a film with her little brother. Spending some time alone with the boy was an eye-opener. Normally there was at least one other person with them – usually more – so the siblings didn't get much chance to talk to each other properly.

Katy found out more about Ricky in the couple of hours before their father finally turned up than she had in the years previously. She was also given an insight into how things had been in the time she'd been away. Ricky screwed up his nose as he told her about Jack fancying their nanny, before telling her about Max and Rainie moving in with them.

"I'm sorry I went away." Katy said softly, pulling him into a sideways hug.

"It's OK." Ricky shrugged, snuggling into her side. "You're back now and you're not going away again, are you?"

"No, baby." She dropped a kiss onto the top of his head. "I promise you. We're not going anywhere."

They lapsed into silence, watching the film Ricky had chosen, until the buzzer alerted them to someone on the doorstep. Shooting her brother a reassuring smile, Katy went to open the door, guessing who would be outside.

"Where the hell have you been?" She demanded as soon as she let her father into the flat. "I've been trying to get hold of you since this morning. They sent Ricky home ill and no one knew where you were!"

"Is he OK?"

"Yeah, he's fine now." She assured him. "Wanted his dad, though."

"I had a bit of business to deal with."

"Like what?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"Dad–"

"I said don't worry about it." Jack snapped, pushing past her. "I'll take him home… get him out of your hair."

"He's fine where he is." She told him, folding her arms irritably. "What's going on?"

"I said it was nothing, alright."

Narrowing her eyes, Katy folded her arms and fixed him with a knowing look. "It was about Mel, wasn't it?"

"What?"

"This is something to do with Mel and that psychotic son of hers." She snapped. "So what? You're more interested in their problems than looking after your own kids now?"

"Of course not!" He looked outraged at the suggestion. "She just… she needed my help and I…"

"What, she fluttered her eyelashes at you and you were powerless to argue?"

"Leave it out."

"What then?"

"It was serious, OK?"

Katy shook her head, scowling. "No. It's not OK. _Your_ son needed you but you were too busy fussing over hers."

Huffing in frustration, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, they're in trouble, alright. Hunter, he…"

"He what, Dad? Couldn't finish the level on his video game?"

"He was involved in his step-dad's death, alright?"

Katy's eyebrows almost shot off the top of her head. "He _what_?"

"Yeah… Mel asked me to help but I got in touch with a couple of my ex-colleagues and–"

"You ratted him out?"

"Running away wasn't going to do him any favours." Jack pointed out. "He needed to face up to his responsibilities."

"I'm guessing Mel isn't going to share that view." Katy pointed out. "She's gonna be furious."

"Yeah, she is." He agreed, nodded weakly. "Look, Katy, I…"

"Leave Ricky here." She sighed. "I'll get Amy from school and they can stay here tonight. Just… do what you've gotta do, Dad. I can't deal with any drama at the moment."

Jack laughed. "You're normally the one _causing_ the drama."

"Yeah, I know that. But right now I've got too much on my plate and with Mum and Aunty Rox not here, I–"

"Not here?" Jack's eyebrows furrowed. "Katy, they're not _not here_. They're gone. They… they died. They're not coming back."

"I…"

"You do understand that, don't you, darlin'?" He asked more gently, looking at her with concern. "You know that they're not coming back?"

She rolled her eyes before pushing past him and avoiding making eye contact. "Of course I know that. I'm not stupid. Now go and deal with the situation you've caused and I'll look after the kids."

* * *

When she had offered to look after Amy and Ricky while Jack sorted things out, she hadn't been expecting him to up sticks and head off to France with Max. Not wanting to disrupt his younger children's routines, he had left Katy very little choice but to agree to look after them while he was away, leading to them temporarily moving into the flat. Six children under one roof barely left any time for Katy to get over to the bar and deal with things there.

She finally got away for a couple of hours, meeting with Ruby Allen to discuss the opening night event and overseeing the final alterations to the plan the workmen had drawn up of the remodelling. With the date Katy had set for the opening drawing closer, she was starting to get nervous. Glenda had tried to calm her down, to reassure her that everything was going to be alright, but her granddaughter was reluctant to believe her.

Dot had requested that Katy accompany her to Dr Legg's funeral a couple of days after Jack's departure. The young woman had considered refusing, reminding her grandmother that she hadn't ever met the man and that she had a lot to do, but she couldn't bear to see the expression on Dot's face if she did that. Instead, she joined Sonia and Bex in order to support the old woman.

"Grandma? Are you ready?" Katy called, letting herself into her grandmother's house. In response, Bex poked her head out of the living room door. "Alright? Where's Dot?"

"She's upstairs." The teenager replied, looking slightly concerned. "She says she's not feeling up to it. Mum's up there trying to change her mind."

"If Grandma says she ain't going, then she ain't going." Katy pointed out, knowing how stubborn the old woman could be when she was in the right frame of mind.

Footsteps on the staircase alerted them to Sonia's presence and she shook her head by way of greeting. "She won't come. She's given me this… she wants me to read it on her behalf." Glancing at her cousin, she held it out. "Maybe you could–?"

Katy shook her head. "No chance, Son. She asked you. It should be you. I didn't know him at all. I'm only really here for Grandma."

Sighing, the older woman nodded and ushered Katy and Bex out of the house. Stuart accompanied them as they headed to the ceremony. When it was her turn to speak, Sonia met Katy's eye, smiling tightly as her cousin nodded at her encouragingly.

Despite the fact that she hadn't known Doctor Legg, Katy found herself getting teary eyed at the words the older woman was saying on their grandmother's behalf. She thought back to all the people she'd lost over her lifetime and, without her permission, her mind wandered to what people would say at her funeral.

As it drew to a close, they headed out of the temple sombrely. Each of them was deep in thought, mulling over what had been said. Katy thought that her grandmother might be disappointed that she hadn't made it to the funeral, wondering whether she'd be able to persuade her to leave the house at all, whether for fresh air or company.

"Any news on when Uncle Jack's coming back?" Sonia asked, pushing her arm through her cousin's.

Katy shook her head. "Nope. Apparently he's having a lovely time with Penny."

"And how are you?" The older woman pressed, looking at her closely. "You're not pushing yourself too much opening the bar, are you?"

Shaking her head again, she smiled. "I'm fine, Son, honestly. I know the drill; the second I feel ill, I'll go and see the doctor."

"You better."

Laughing, the blonde informed her cousin that she needed to check in at the bar before joining the others at the Vic for the wake, leaving them at the door and heading away in the direction of Turpin Road.

Katy frowned, pulling out her mobile as she neared the bar. She glanced at the name flashing on the screen and then stopped dead, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Nina?"

"Katy… I need your help."

The blonde bit her lip and leant against the wall, resting her head against the bricks and silently debating whether to get drawn into the situation that was evidently unfolding back in Wales. She had met Nina at the Oncology hospital, the older woman receiving treatment for cervical cancer. They had bonded instantly over their illnesses and attempting to raise their children at the same time.

Glenda hadn't approved at first, deciding that Nina was bad news after she'd appeared on Katy's doorstep with her son after a violent argument with her partner. She'd soon changed her mind and before long Glenda had started to view her granddaughter's new friend as part of the family.

"What's happened?"

"It's Jason."

Katy sighed, knowing that she couldn't possibly brush her off after that. "What's he done?"

"He hit Riley."

"You need to leave him." Katy told her angrily, clenching her free fist at her side. She briefly considered telling her to go to the police, before dismissing the thought. "How many times do I have to tell you? Now it's not just you he's battering."

"We need to get away. Can we come and stay with you?"

Rubbing her forehead tiredly she exhaled, unable to see a way around it. As much as she liked Nina, her friend was a trouble magnet. If Nina and Riley came to stay, she very much doubted that Jason would be far behind.

"Babe… can't you go to your mum's?"

"She said after the last time she was done." There was a pause. "Please? We've got nowhere else to go."

"Of course you can come down. I'll sort you out somewhere to stay. It'll only be temporary, though."

"Can I have a job at your bar?"

"Yeah, sure." Katy agreed tiredly. "Can you sort getting here?"

"I've got some money stashed that should cover the train fares."

Waving at the workmen as she made her way up to her office, shutting herself inside and dropping into her chair. "I'll sort the rest. Just… just get yourselves here, OK?"

Ending the call, she flopped back in the chair and covered her face for a moment. Then she stood up and left the office, hurrying out of the bar and making her way towards the Vic. She briefly considered going inside and showing her face at the wake, but changed her mind and crossed to her father's house.

Letting herself in, she went straight to the sideboard and began hunting for the keys to the flat she knew was empty in the building Jack owned. Her desperation grew as time passed and she still couldn't find them, knowing that Rainie would be less than impressed if she came back and found her hunting through their things.

Finally she found them. Triumphantly, she pushed the keys into her pocket and replaced everything neatly in the drawers, before leaving the house. Sending her friend a quick text to let her know that she had sorted them somewhere temporary to stay until they found somewhere else, she went in search of Glenda to let her know what was going on.

Finding her at the flat, Katy propelled her into the kitchen and closed the door so that their conversation wouldn't be overheard. She explained the phone call she'd received and the decision she'd made, earning herself a wry smile from her grandmother. From her reaction, Glenda was obviously pleased that Nina and Riley were coming to visit, but didn't say as much.

"Shall I go to the chippy and get dinner?" She suggested, seeing how tired her granddaughter looked.

Katy smiled gratefully. "That would be great, Gran, thanks."

Nodding, Glenda squeezed her arm affectionately, before leaving the room. Katy moved to switch on the kettle, leaning heavily against the counter and burying her face in her hands as she thought about the impact her friend's arrival on the Square might have.

"Is Nina coming to stay with us?" Ruby asked suddenly, her eyes wide and hopeful as Katy swung round to meet them.

Frowning, not having realised her daughter had eavesdropped on her conversation, Katy turned to fix her with a glare. "What have I told you?"

"Don't listen to other people's conversations." Her daughter robotically repeated words she had heard often. "But is she?"

"She's coming to work at the bar for a bit. I'm hoping Grandad will let her stay in one of his flats until she finds somewhere else to live."

"Is Riley coming with her?"

Katy nodded. "Yep, they're both coming."

"That's so cool! When will they be here?"

"A couple of days… next week maybe?" Her mother shrugged. "Right, can you tell the others to tidy up and get ready for dinner? Granny's gone to the chippy so she won't be long."

As the seven-year-old skipped away to follow her instructions, Katy sighed loudly. As the kettle clicked and signalled it had boiled, she moved to make a cup of tea, deep in thought. She had a bad feeling about the plan, but equally she couldn't just do nothing.

Hearing Glenda returning, Katy called for the children to come into the kitchen, trying to push her concerns to the back of her mind.


	6. Chapter 6

"Did you hear the Vic fire alarm going off earlier?" Glenda asked, letting herself into Katy's flat and dropping her bag on the armchair. She shrugged her coat off before she realised that her granddaughter was lying on the sofa. "What's wrong?"

"Just a headache, that's all." Katy sighed, swinging her legs off the cushions and sitting up. "I'm fine."

"Really?"

"I promise."

"Katy–"

"Gran!"

"Fine, fine!" Glenda held her hands up in defeat.

Smiling, Katy wandered into the kitchen to put the kettle on. "Where are the kids?"

"With Honey." Her grandmother said, following her into the kitchen. "She offered to take them all to the park."

"All of them? My four, Amy and Ricky _and_ her two?"

"She'll be fine." Glenda dismissed her concern with a roll of her eyes. She didn't even bother mention that Matthew wasn't one of Katy's children. "I thought you said you were working this afternoon?"

"Like I said, headache."

"And you're sure–"

Banging the mugs down on the counter harder than she intended to, the younger blonde frowned. "I said I'm fine!" She exhaled sharply, before turning to look at her grandmother. "I promise, Gran, I'm OK. It's _just_ a headache."

"Alright, alright! You can't blame me for being worried, though, can you?"

"No, I know. I'm sorry."

With a deep sigh, Glenda dragged Katy into a hug, rubbing her back soothingly. "You don't have to be sorry. I just… I worry about you, that's all."

Smiling as she hid her face in the older woman's neck, Katy hugged her tightly. "I know, Gran. And… thank you."

"Don't be silly."

Pulling away, Glenda wiped at her eyes and moved to the fridge to get the milk. Smiling softly, Katy turned back to the kettle and poured boiling water into their mugs. She shook her head at her grandmother's attempts to cover up how soft she really was.

"Can you believe how far we've come?" She asked, looking at the older woman. "I mean… we _hated_ each other."

"I did _not_ hate you, Katherine!" Glenda muttered, looking highly affronted.

Katy laughed at her reaction. "Oh, come on, Gran! You did everything you could to turn Mum and Roxy against me."

"Yes, well, I thought you were just after Archie's money. I had no idea you were Veronica's daughter!"

"Neither did I!"

"Yes, well… that was a long time ago."

"It's a shame it took Mum and Aunty Rox dying to stop us severely disliking each other."

"I wish…" Glenda started, before trailing off with a soft sigh. "I just wish things had been different. I wish _I_ had been different."

"It's OK, Gran." Katy told her gently, reaching out and squeezing her forearm. "We're good now. Besides… maybe…"

The older Mitchell shot her granddaughter a wary look. "Katy, you don't honestly still think there's a chance–"

"Well why not?" Katy demanded defensively. "It's not the weirdest thing that's ever happened, is it? I mean… everyone thought Kathy was dead, but she's here and very much alive."

"Darling, there's no way that Ver… that they could possibly still be alive. It's just… it's not… Jack saw Veronica's body. There was an investigation… an inquest."

"But–"

"Don't." Glenda ordered shaking her head. "Stop it, please."

"Alright, alright." Katy held up her hands and finished making their mugs of tea. Handing one to her grandmother, she leant against the counters. "So? The alarm at the Vic?"

"Everyone had to leave and Mo Harris was moaning about having to waste drinking time on her birthday. I overheard something about a waistcoat, too, but I wasn't really listening."

"Fascinating."

"Alright, alright!" Glenda laughed, nudging Katy gently in the ribs. "So, what were you supposed to be doing today?"

"Working my way through a never-ending list." The younger blonde sighed. "I've got nothing done, Gran. I've got PR to sort, suppliers, staff… why did I think I could do this on my own?"

"Because you _can_." Glenda assured her firmly. "Besides, you're not on your own. You've got me and your dad… you only need to ask for help."

"Dad? He's in France, if you'd forgotten, which is why we've got Amy and Ricky staying with us."

"Well when he's back, then. You need to ask for help if you want it, Katherine. If you don't… stop moaning and get on with things."

"You're right, I know. I know, OK?" Katy sighed deeply. "Maybe I should go over there now while the kids are with Honey."

Glenda grasped her granddaughter's arms and shook her head. "Not tonight. Tonight we're going to have a takeaway and watch a film with the kids. But first, I'm taking you over to the Vic for a few drinks."

* * *

Whitney was supposed to be helping Katy at the bar. After her impromptu day off the day before, the blonde felt like she had to make up for it by working extra hard, which was why she'd dragged her friend along to make up for it. Whitney, however, had other ideas.

"What's the best part of being a Mum?"

"Any time when they're not with you." Katy informed her bluntly. "What do you reckon is the least number of bar staff I can employ? There's already you, me and Stacey."

"_If_ I agree to work here. I ain't said yes, yet. Besides, it depends how busy you think it's going to get." Whitney told her with a shrug. "But, Katy! You know me and Callum are trying for a baby. I need your help."

"What? You need my help trying for a baby?" Her friend arched an eyebrow at her, breaking into a grin when Whitney rolled her eyes and smacked her on the arm. "Look, babe… it's the hardest thing ever, but I wouldn't change it for anything. You'll be a _brilliant_ Mum." She nudged her with her elbow. "Can we please get back to work, now?"

"You need a bloke."

"What?" Katy sighed exasperatedly. "Whitney! Seriously, this is important."

"So is finding you a boyfriend." Her friend replied firmly. "You're gonna spend the rest of your life living with your Gran otherwise."

"You know as well as I do that the rest of my life could be a lot shorter than anyone thinks." Katy reminded her. "Four kids, life-threatening illness, non-existent work-life balance… hardly screams 'date me' does it?"

"Shut up."

"Whit, seriously. I'm flattered that you want to–"

"Seriously, shut up." Whitney frowned at her. "I ain't having this Katy Mitchell pity party. You're just scared."

"I ain't scared of anything. I'm just realistic."

Pulling a face, her friend shook her head. "You're twenty-six, Katy. Stop acting like you're fifty-six."

"When you've got kids, you'll understand."

"Wow."

Sighing, the blonde shook her head, running one hand through her hair agitatedly. "I didn't mean that, Whit. I'm sorry. I just… I _need_ this to work. I need to prove I can do this. I don't have time to think about anything."

"Alright, fine." Whitney fixed her with a stern look. "But as soon as the R&R is up and running, I'm taking you out on the pull."

Laughing, Katy shook her head and returned her attention to the paperwork in front of her. Whitney chattered on about this and that, attempting to distract her friend from work. They continued in that way until the brunette's moaning finally pulled Katy's attention away from work and they wandered across to the chippy for lunch.

"Who are them two?" Whitney asked, nodding towards two young women that they had never seen before. They disappeared into Walford East, clearly arguing about something or other. "Mick reckons they had something to do with the Vic fire alarm going off yesterday. They got into it with Kat and Stacey… one of them tried chatting Martin up."

"Bloody hell, takes a brave woman to take that pair on."

"Like you wouldn't."

"I'd have to have a bloody good reason." Katy told her with a laugh. "Gran reckons they're Masood's nieces or cousins or something."

"How does she know?"

"How does Gran know anything?" The blonde rolled her eyes. "Weren't Kathy and Mas a thing for a while? Gran and Kathy are besties now, so maybe that's how she knows."

"How does your Gran have a better social life and know more gossip than us?"

"Have you met the woman?" Katy joked.

"Good point."

"You gotta get back to the Vic?"

Whitney wrinkled her nose. "I probably should, but I'm having more fun with you."

"Awww, you're so cute."

"Shut up!" The brunette laughed, shoving her shoulder. "D'you remember when we first met?"

Katy looked at her as thought she was mad. "When we first met? My god, we were just seventeen, weren't we?"

"You'd just arrived here… didn't you think Archie was your dad?"

"Yeah… I thought Mum and Aunty Rox were my sisters!"

They both laughed at that, Whitney pushing her arm through Katy's and squeezing her arm. "You looked so like her that I knew you were definitely her daughter."

"You did not, you liar." Katy argued, laughing at the absurdity of her comment. "You had no idea!"

"I did."

"Whatever."

"I _did_!"

Nudging her with her shoulder, Katy grinned. "God, we were massive chavs, weren't we? I mean, one of us still is…"

"Bitch!" Whitney laughed, not even pretending to be offended. "Did you ever think we'd be where we are now? Back then, I mean?"

"What? Eating Ian Beale's chips and chatting absolute shit?" Katy asked, unable to be serious. "To be honest, that was just what we did most days."

"No, seriously, K… did you think we'd still be in Walford?"

"I dunno… yeah? I think I thought I'd be here, anyway. Not with the kids in tow, though. And… you know… I never considered that Mum and Rox wouldn't be here. I definitely wouldn't have believed that Gran _would_ be."

"Yeah… I never thought I'd still be here. I thought… oh, I don't know. I think I thought maybe I _would_ have kids by now." She sighed and shrugged. "I really thought I'd be the first, you know? That I'd be married and have kids before you or Lauren even considered it."

"Well, considering I had Rubes so young, you can't have thought that for long."

"Well, OK, _more_ kids, then."

Sighing, Katy stopped and turned to look at her friend seriously. "Whit, it'll happen soon. Callum's a really good guy and look at me and Lauren. We're both single mothers with disastrous histories."

"Mine ain't exactly–"

"No, I know." Katy cut across her, not wanting her friend to dwell on her past. "But you've got a good one, now. And you deserve him. So, come on… no more reminiscing, OK? The future is where we need to focus our attention."

"Yeah… yeah, you're right." Whitney nodded decisively. "Let me text Linda and I'll help you out this afternoon."

"Really?"

Whitney rolled her eyes at the teasing tone, nudging Katy with her shoulder again. "Yes, I promise I'll help properly this time."

* * *

Katy was supposed to be making an appointment for a check up at the hospital. She was doing her best to avoid it, however, hoping that Glenda wouldn't remember with everything else that was going on.

Jack still wasn't back from France and having Amy and Ricky was making things even more complicated. Katy was trying to be lenient with her brother and sister, knowing that they were missing their father, but they, especially Amy, were pushing their luck.

"But you said Maisie could come round for tea." Amy whined.

Her sister was rushing around trying to get all six children ready for school and nursery. Glenda would ordinarily have been around to help, but she'd muttered something about a money making scheme and disappeared before her granddaughter could question it.

"Wait 'til Dad comes back, yeah?"

"That's not fair! You promised."

"Amy, please." Katy sighed tiredly. "Just give me a break, right? When Dad– Jessica, no!"

Swearing loudly, the blonde darted across the room just in time to stop the four-year-old knocking a mug of tea off the coffee table. Rubbing her forehead agitatedly, Katy screwed her eyes up for a moment. Then she held up a hand as her sister drew breath to launch another attack.

"I'm not going to change my mind, Amy. Do you seriously think I have the energy to have any more children in this flat?"

"But–"

"No."

"Katy! I hate you!"

"Yeah, well… I don't really give a shit." Her sister shrugged. "Ten minute warning, then we're leaving. Jess, Soph, Matthew, shoes!"

Ricky appeared with Matthew, helping the younger boy to put his shoes on the correct feet. Katy smiled as she watched, before rolling her eyes at her sulking sister. Amy huffed loudly and flounced out of the living room in the direction of Ruby's bedroom.

"Why's Amy in a mood?"

Glancing sideways at her eldest daughter, Katy shrugged. "Because she's Amy?"

"Where's Granny?"

"She had somewhere to be this morning, apparently." Her mother said, moving to collect the lunchboxes off the kitchen counters. She handed them to the correct child carefully, knowing what would happen if they got the wrong one. "She should be home in time to pick you up later."

"What if she isn't?"

"Then I'll be there."

Ushering them out of the house, Katy kept an eye on her sister as she walked hand-in-hand with Sophie. Amy was chattering away to the four-year-old, pointing out various things and waving to people they knew as they passed. Katy frowned as she heard a pitying remark from Linda when they passed the Vic, biting her tongue to stop herself retorting.

They were just entering the school playground when Katy's mobile started to ring. She nodded when Ricky asked whether they could go, watching as the oldest three children ran off to their classroom doors. Taking a tight hold of Jessica's hand – the one most likely to run away and get into trouble – Katy led the other three round to the nursery door.

"Did you hang up on me?" Glenda asked incredulously when Katy called her back.

The blonde rolled her eyes as she strolled back up the playground towards the gates. "I was doing the school run, Gran."

"Oh, right… yeah." Glenda sounded almost surprised. "Anyway, listen, I've got you a wonderful deal on some sound equipment."

"Uhh…?"

"I know you were debating whether to get a DJ booth for the upper bar or not, but think about the potential for theme nights. I've negotiated you a fantastic deal with someone I used to know."

"Gran…"

"Look, Neil will drop round to the R&R later this morning and discuss things over with you then. I haven't agreed to anything, let alone signed anything."

"Thanks."

"… you're welcome?"

Katy laughed. "Really, Gran, thanks. That's one less thing for me to deal with." She paused. "You know Nina and Riley are moving to Walford today."

"I'll pick up some shopping for them on my way home." Glenda offered immediately. "I doubt she'll have thought about that."

Ending the call, suggesting that her grandmother meet her for lunch later on, Katy headed back to the Square wondering whether the deal was as good as Glenda had made out.


	7. Chapter 7

Katy waited impatiently at the tube station for Nina's arrival. Glenda had wanted to come with her, but Katy had persuaded her grandmother to take the food she'd brought and stock the fridge in the flat their friends would be staying in. She guessed they wouldn't have money to do it themselves. Preventing Glenda being there to greet them also meant that Katy could have a few words with her friend in private.

Finally, causing a commotion as they pushed their way through the barriers with their bags, Nina and Riley appeared. Katy smiled, hugging them both in greeting, before shouldering a couple of the bags and leading them towards Albert Square. They looked around as they, clearly finding their surroundings overwhelming. Katy had to admit it was a far cry from where they'd come from.

"OK, this is Number 5." She explained, leading the way up the steps to the front door. "My dad owns the building and I've got you the keys to 5D, OK?"

"Does your dad know?" Nina asked, already knowing the answer.

Katy rolled her eyes. "He's away at the moment, but I'll tell him when he gets back."

"Yeah?"

"It'll be fine." She promised, climbing towards the flat in question. "Gran's done some shopping for you, so I'll leave you to settle in and stuff. If you give me a text later I'll bring her and the kids round to say hi."

Seeing that Nina seemed to be finding the situation a bit daunting, she squeezed her arm gently and ruffled Riley's hair, leaving them alone. On her way back across the Square she phoned Glenda, informing her that they were safely in the flat.

* * *

"Can I speak to Dad?"

Katy looked up with a frown as Ruby made her request. She closed the lid of her laptop and watched her daughter carefully. Ruby was shifting her weight from foot to foot and avoiding meeting her mother's eyes.

"Why? What's happened?"

"Nothing. Can I?"

Katy sighed. "Of course you can, but if something's happened–"

"Nothing's happened!" Her daughter complained. "I just wanna speak to Dad."

"Ruby–"

"Mum!"

"After dinner, OK?" Katy promised.

The seven-year-old narrowed her eyes. "Are you going out?"

"I've got a meeting."

"Tonight? What kind of meeting would you be having at night?"

Arching an eyebrow at her, Katy raised the lid of her laptop once more. "I'm going to see a guy who might be interested in doing some promotions and events at the bar."

"What does that mean?"

"I thought you'd know that. You seem to know everything else." Her mother retorted quickly.

"Is Granny looking after us?"

"No, she's going out with Kathy." Katy replied, distracted by an email that had just popped up on her screen.

"Grandad?"

"Hmm? No. He's not back yet."

"Aunty Whitney?"

"She's coming with me."

"Then who?" Ruby complained, pushing the lid of the laptop to get her mother's attention.

"Nina said she'd watch you."

The seven-year-old furrowed her eyebrows. "Is that a good idea?"

Katy laughed. "She'll be fine and besides, you'll keep an eye on her for me, won't you?"

"What's it worth?"

"You are such a Mitchell." Katy told her, pulling Ruby into her arms and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Holding her at arms length, she studied her closely, tucking a stand of wavy blonde hair behind her daughter's ear. "What would I do without you, eh?"

"I really don't know." Ruby sighed theatrically, shaking her head seriously. "So... can I speak to Dad now?"

Nodding with reluctant agreement, Katy started a video call with Tyler and handed her phone over to her daughter. Hearing Ruby starting to chatter happily, she glanced towards where the rest of the children were still contentedly watching TV and then headed into the kitchen to make a start on their dinner.

* * *

"Come on, Katy. You've gotta try these cocktails." Whitney nudged her, pushing a drink into her hand. "They're amazing."

"Yeah?" She took a sip and smiled broadly, taking another, longer drink. "Oh my god, they are!" Her eyes fell on the bartender who was whipping up another cocktail. "D'you reckon I could convince him to relocate to the R&R?"

"Stop thinking about work!"

"That's literally the reason we're here, Whit!"

"Is it?"

Katy laughed at her confusion, nudging her with her hip. "Yes, babe. The guy running this event is a promoter and I wanna see if he'll do some stuff for me."

"Stuff?"

"God, Whitney. Promotions and events and that." She furrowed her eyebrows, deep in thought. "Maybe he does freelance stuff?"

"Bloody hell, you're boring." Whitney complained, motioning for the barman to bring her another drink. "Get that down you and lighten up a bit."

"I'm here for a reason, babe." Katy shook her head and pushed the glass away, craning her neck to try and see through the door that was marked 'private'. "I'm gonna go and see if I can speak to him and you… you keep testing the cocktails, alright?"

"I'm surprised you didn't ask your mate to come with us…"

Sensing the jealousy behind her friend's words, Katy sighed. "Look, she's a mate who needed my help. But you're my best friend, Whit. I love you the most, you know that."

"God… no need to get soppy. Just go and do what you came here to do so we can start having fun."

Rolling her eyes, Whitney took a sip of her drink and turned around to survey the dance floor as Katy moved away in search of the promoter. She smiled at the doorman who was hanging around the area she wanted to sneak into, going up on her tiptoes to speak to him. Unsurprised when he shook his head and refused to let her past, Katy shrugged and moved away to wait for the man to appear.

"Hey!" She pushed herself away from the wall as he stepped through the door. The doorman shot her a look, but said nothing. "You're Alex Ronan, right?"

The man looked at her suspiciously. "Who wants to know?"

"I'm Katy Mitchell." She held out a hand and shook his quickly, her grin widening at the bemused expression on his face. "I'm opening a bar just off Albert Square and I was wondering whether you might be available for a bit of promo work? Running a few events and that?"

"I'm quite busy here."

"Yeah, I thought you might say that." She grinned at him, shrugging her shoulders. Pulling a business card out of her pocket, she held it out to him. "Look, if you change your mind – or just fancy a nose around my bar – let me know, yeah?"

Turning on her heels, Katy strode back in the direction she'd left Whitney and swiped the cocktail out of her hand. Her friend arched an eyebrow at her, before snatching her drink back. Glancing over Katy's shoulder, she let out a low whistle.

"He's fit for an older guy."

"I have no interest in that, Whit." Katy reminded her. "With four kids under seven, Amy and Ricky, Gran and the R&R to contend with, I ain't got time for anything else."

"Maybe you should make time?" Whitney suggested, trying to catch the barman's attention again. "You're twenty-six, babe. You ain't dead yet."

She snorted. "Not for my body's lack of trying."

"Katy!"

"Well… if I can't joke about it, who can?" Leaning on the bar, she waved at the young, slightly nervous looking barman. "Same again?"

"Let's branch out and try something else." Whitney suggested, perusing the cocktail menu thoughtfully. "Hey, you know what? I reckon I could replicate some of these…"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I reckon so." She nodded, pulling out her phone and taking a quick snap of the menu. She peered at it for a moment, checking she could read the ingredients properly, before nodding. "Easy."

"So… you'll come and work at the R&R?"

"Part-time." Whitney agreed with a grin.

Katy let out a delighted squeal and hugged her tightly. "Really? Oh my god, babe, this is brilliant!"

"You sure you want me there?"

"Of course I do." The blonde frowned. "You're my best mate; there's no one I'd rather work with. If only Lauren was here… the dream team back together."

"Reckon we could convince her to come home?"

Katy screwed up her nose, thinking it over. "She'll be back at some point. I mean, I said I was never coming back and here I am."

Whitney smiled, pulling her into a tight hug. "It's really good to have you home, Katy."

"It's good to be home." She agreed, pulling away and turning to grin at the barman. "Now let's get drunk."

* * *

"Wakey wakey."

Katy groaned, flinging a pillow at her grandmother. Glenda leant against the doorframe and laughed at the sight of the young woman in last night's clothes and the other pillow over her head.

"Gran, no."

"Katy, yes." She moved over to the bed and tugged the duvet away from the younger woman. "You need to get up."

"What time is it?"

"Half ten."

"Oh god!"

"It's fine." Glenda chuckled as her granddaughter shot out of bed. "I've sorted the kids. But don't you have that meeting with the promoter for the bar?"

"Shit, shit, shit!"

She laughed again as Katy rushed around grabbing clothes and running into the bathroom for a shower. Lazily wandering into the kitchen, Glenda had just made a pot of coffee and was settling down to flick through a magazine when Katy reappeared, looking panicked. She grabbed the mug out of her grandmother's hand and took a long gulp, before pushing it back towards her.

"I'll be back in time to collect the kids, OK?" Katy assured her, dropping a kiss into Glenda's hair. "Thanks, Gran."

She rushed out of the house and turned along Bridge Street, waving distractedly at Shirley as she almost ran past, glancing at the time as she went.

"Hey, Katy?" Jay pushed his hands into his pockets as he approached, grinning at her brightly. "Whitney said that you and her went to see some events promoter the other night? You looking for someone to do events at the bar?"

She nodded, pausing reluctantly. "Yeah, thought I might get someone professional in to raise interest in the place. We need to build a brand fast, so I thought a promoter might be a good idea."

"You know Ruby is in events, right?"

Katy frowned at him in confusion. "Ruby?"

"Yeah, my… Ruby." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You know, Stace's mate… my girlfriend?"

"Oh!" Understanding dawned on her face and she nodded. "Her."

"So? Any chance you could hire her to do something?"

"Is she any good?"

"Yeah, she's amazing." He grinned proudly. "You saw how good that party was at Walford East."

"Yeah? I also saw her being arrested, Jay."

Jay frowned, shaking his head. "It weren't true, Katy. She never did nothing and them two won't pay her for what she did. Besides, since when did you bother about what the old bill think?"

Sighing, she shrugged. "Look, I'm going to meet a promoter now, but if you can get Ruby to pop into the bar later I'll have a word with her, OK?" When he looked as though he was going to argue, she held up a hand. "Best I can do, Jay, sorry."

"Thanks, K."

"Yeah, no worries." She was already rushing away before the words had left her mouth.

The man she was supposed to be meeting was already waiting for her when she arrived. Seeing him through the window, she composed herself before stepping inside and sending him a wide smile. Before Katy could say anything, he nodded approvingly around at the space and congratulated her on the décor.

"Thanks," she smiled, motioning towards the stairs, "shall we go to my office?"

To Katy's irritation, Alex Ronan was incredibly boring. He talked about nothing but himself and how wonderful he was. Whenever she attempted to cut in and ask a question or make a comment, he talked over her until she gave up attempting to interject at all. Instead, she leant back in her chair and folded her arms, letting her mind wander to other things.

By the time he finally seemed to be running out of steam, Katy's patience had worn completely thin. While he'd been talking, she had made up her mind to take Jay's advice and ask Ruby about running some events for the club. The other woman might not have the reputation of the man sitting opposite her, but at least she probably wouldn't bore her to tears.

"Thanks for coming in," she started, holding up her hand to stop him continuing, "but I don't think you're the best fit for the R&R. While I've got big plans for the place, I'm under no illusions about our capacity. I got the distinct impression that you think planning events for the R&R would be beneath you."

"It's not the sort of venue I'm used to." He admitted, confirming her thoughts.

"Right, so that's that, then." Katy said decisively. "Thanks for coming in."

She motioned towards the door, without moving from her seat and watched as he left. Shaking her head, she pulled out her mobile and found Jay's number, hesitating for a moment and tapping the handset against her lips as she thought carefully about her next move.

Getting out of her chair, placing the phone on her desk, Katy moved to the cardboard box inside the door. Inside, wrapped in bubble wrap, was a large framed photo of her mother and aunt. A lump formed in the young woman's throat as she unwrapped it carefully and stared at the smiling faces; so familiar despite the fact that she hadn't seen them in so long. Something inside her tugged painfully, the smallest flicker of hope, tightly clamped down on but fighting to get out.

One of the carpenters had hammered a nail into the wall weeks before in preparation for the photograph to be hung, but Katy hadn't been able to face the thought of seeing the smiling faces every day. Now, though, she found that she wasn't quite sure what had been holding her back for so long.

A soft knock on the door drew her out of her reverie and Katy jumped slightly. Glancing in the direction of the sound, she hung the picture carefully and composed herself, before turning to smile at the young woman in the doorway. She was familiar, but Katy couldn't say that she would have recognised her without knowing who she was.

"Hi… that must be your mum?" The young woman said, motioning towards Ronnie's smiling facing. "I heard you were the image of her."

"Yeah… my Mum and my Aunty Roxy." Katy agreed with a nod. "Sorry…?"

"Oh, sorry!" The woman exclaimed, blushing slightly. She held out her hand in way of greeting. "I'm Ruby Allen. Jay told me to–"

"Oh, right!" Understanding blossomed across Katy's face and her smile became genuine. "Ruby, hi. Come in. I've just had the most boring conversation of my life with another events coordinator, so you only really need to keep me awake to get the job!"

Ruby laughed. "That sounds like good news to me."

"Well, if Jay reckons I should give you a chance, that's good enough for me."

"You and Jay are close then?" The brunette asked, clearly intrigued about what her answer would be. She glanced down, apparently trying not to look too interested, but her hands twisting in her lap gave her away.

"He's as good as my brother." Katy told her with another grin. "My younger, incredibly annoying brother. But he's got the biggest heart of anyone I know and I trust his judgement, so if you want the job it's yours."

"Really?" She looked astonished. "You're serious? Even after…?"

Katy nodded. "I'm serious. Jay reminded me that I don't give a toss what the old bill think. In another life it could have been me being hauled in for summit I didn't do." She smiled and nodded determinedly. "I need to make this place a success, Ruby, so I'm counting on you to work some magic."


	8. Chapter 8

"Can we have pancakes?" Ricky asked, looking up at his older sister hopefully.

Katy nodded distractedly, grasping Jess tightly by the wrist as she wandered off to stroke a passing dog. "Yeah, Gran's gonna make them for tea. We're gonna go to the pancake race at the Vic first, though, yeah?"

"Can we do it?" Her brother asked.

"Nah, we'll just watch, sweetie. It'll be fun, right? I know Billy's doing it, so William and Janet will be there, too."

Happy with that, her brother stopped questioning her and happily chattered to Matthew and Sophie as they made their way back to the Square. Katy trailed along behind them, keeping one eye on the children and one of her mobile as she waited for her call to be answered.

Finally she heard a voice at the other end and jammed the handset between her ear and her shoulder, immediately launching into an inquiry about how the council inspection on the kitchen had gone. If they wanted to serve food at the bar they needed to pass the inspection and Katy, with absolutely no idea how to go about it, had asked Mick and Linda for help. They'd put her in touch with one of their contacts at the council and everything seemed to be going to plan so far.

"Hey, Mitchells!"

Laughing at Tina's shout from the other end of Bridge Street, Katy herded the children in her direction. Jessica immediately started chattering to the woman, hanging off her leg while she chuckled. The others crowded around her, asking about the pancake race and whether they were allowed to eat any of them.

"That's what I wanted to ask you about, actually." Tina said with a smile. "I wanted to check you were gonna come?"

"Yeah, course we are." Katy promised with a firm nod. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Them two cows from Walford East are having their own event." The brunette replied with a frown. "They saw me putting up the poster this morning and announced they were gonna do their own version."

"Don't let them get to you, T. That restaurant ain't a patch on the Vic, OK? And like I told Mick and Linda, we ain't gonna muscle in on your punters over at R&R either, alright?"

Tina grinned at her. "I don't mind _you_ doing it, babe. At least we're mates, ain't we?"

"Course we are." Katy nodded. "Right, I better get this lot home and changed out of their uniforms so we can get back for the race. See you in a bit."

* * *

"Did you know that it rains diamonds on Jupiter." Ricky asked between mouthfuls of his dinner.

Katy pulled a face at his table manners and then shook her head. "That's not true."

"Yeah, it is." He argued.

"It is Mum." Ruby agreed. "Mrs Anderson said so."

"Right… sounds like absolute crap to me."

"And me." Amy agreed with her older sister instantly. "Absolute crap."

"Language." Katy chastised her.

"You said it!"

Katy grinned. "I'm allowed. I'm an adult."

"I'll tell Dad, then." Amy threatened, poking her tongue out.

"Go ahead, I don't care."

"Did you know that if you drove straight up you'd reach outer space in an hour?" Ricky told them, looking between his sisters.

"Something else Mrs Anderson told you?" Katy asked, arching an eyebrow.

"It's our topic." Ruby told her.

"What? Unbelievable crap?"

"Space." Ricky corrected his sister. "We're learning about space."

"I did space in year three. They never told _me_ that." Amy announced.

"What's your topic, then, Ames?" Katy asked, leaning sideways and cutting up Jessica's sausage for her. She shook her head as Matthew attempted to steal a chip off Sophie's plate. "What so-called facts have they been telling _you_?"

"We're doing rainforests. It's really cool, actually."

"Yeah?"

"There's a tree in a rainforest in Australia called the idiot fruit." Amy told her with a grin. "I think Ricky ate some."

"Oi!" Katy frowned at her. "Leave it out."

"I'm not an idiot!"

"Yeah, you are."

"Amy!" Her older sister glared across the table. "Ricky is _not_ an idiot. Now shut up and eat your dinner."

"You're not the boss of me." The ten-year-old argued, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms across her chest.

"Uhh, yeah, I am actually. If you don't like it you can go home and stay with Rainie until Dad comes home."

The younger Mitchell's face became a mask of horror. "You wouldn't make me do that."

Laughing, Katy shrugged. "I will if you carry on being such a little cow."

"I'll tell Dad you said that."

"Go ahead."

"I can go?" Jessica asked her mother, already having slid halfway off the chair.

Sighing, Katy glanced at the time before nodding at her. Taking it as agreement for all of them to leave, all six children disappeared from the kitchen and left Katy to tidy up alone. Unsurprised, she quickly cleared the plates and washed them, leaving them to dry on the draining board. Routine tasks gave her the chance to think, to catch up with all the thoughts that there was no space for in her brain while she was rushed off her feet.

"Katy?"

Not in the mood for more arguments, the young woman turned and fixed her sister with a stern look. "What's wrong now?"

"Nothing, I just… can I sleep in your bed tonight?" Amy asked in a small voice. She was twisting her hands together and avoiding making eye contact, as though she thought Katy would tease her or laugh at her request. "Please? I miss Mummy."

Letting her eyes slip closed, Katy pulled her into her arms, holding her close. She raked her hand through Amy's hair before resting her chin on the top of her head. The little girl clung on tightly, burying her face in Katy's shoulder and bunching her hands in the back of her jumper.

"Of course you can, angel." Katy promised gently. "I miss her too."

That was how Katy found herself waking up the next morning in a thoroughly overcrowded bed. Wincing and removing Ricky's foot from her face, she carefully lifted herself off the mattress so she could climb over Matthew and Jessica and stand up. Rolling Ruby back across the bed so that she wasn't in danger of falling off the edge, Katy pulled the duvet up over Sophie and brushed Amy's hair out of her face. She smiled fondly at them, watching them sleeping for a long moment before padding out of the bedroom to start the morning routine.

"Are you sure you want to go to school like this?" Katy pulled a face as she scrutinised her sister and eldest daughter closely. "I mean… aren't you meant to be dressing up as book characters?"

"It's international women's day, too, Katy." Amy informed her seriously. "I want to go as Mummy. Ruby wants to go as Aunty Ronnie."

Katy ran her eyes over them again. Just looking at the little girls physically hurt, because they so closely resembled the two women they were attempting to imitate. From somewhere they had found an old photo of Ronnie and Roxy and managed to recreate the outfits the sisters were wearing. Swallowing thickly, Katy reached out and touched the locket that Ruby was wearing around her neck.

"It's not Grandma's." Ruby assured her quickly. "It's just one that looks the same."

"I know, sweetie." Her mother nodded, fighting the urge to cry. "You just… you look…"

"I think they look fantastic." Glenda announced from the sofa, attempting to paint a Harry Potter scar on Ricky's forehead. "They did most of it on their own."

As Katy had been so busy, Glenda had taken charge of sorting out all six costumes. None of the children would even tell the younger blonde what they were dressing up as until that morning, although Katy had managed to work out all but Amy and Ruby's costumes before then.

"No one's going to know who you are."

"I don't care." Amy shrugged.

"Rubes?"

"I don't care either."

"If anyone says anything, we're just gonna say we're dressed as our heros." Amy continued, nodding firmly at her niece. Ruby nodded back, looking equally determined. "You can't change our minds."

Katy couldn't help chuckling at that and held up her hands in surrender. "I wouldn't even try."

As the two girls skipped off to get their bags, Katy turned to her grandmother. Glenda shot her a small smile, before turning to usher the twins into the hallway. Before she could get very far, Katy and laid a hand on her arm and pulled her back.

"I'm sorry if it upset you." Glenda said immediately.

Her granddaughter shook her head. "It didn't… it's… it's lovely that they feel like that. It was just a shock, that's all. They really, really look like them."

"I know… I felt exactly the same." Glenda admitted with a small shrug.

"Thank you for sorting their costumes."

"It was nothing. Like I said, Amy and Ruby pretty much sorted themselves out and I just bought the others. The twins and Matthew's are just onesies." They looked towards where the four-year-olds – dressed in Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Tigger onesies – were pulling on their shoes. "And Ricky's came as a set."

"Still… thank you. There's no chance they'd have even had costumes if I'd been left in charge."

"Of course they would." Glenda told her, rolling her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. I'll see you later… don't forget I'm going out with Kathy tonight, so you'll need to be in."

Katy nodded in acknowledgement, smiling and waving as they left the flat, shaking her head at the children in their costumes and her already exasperated grandmother attempting to shepherd them in the right direction.

* * *

"Hey, Katy?"

Turning, the blonde smiled warmly as Stacey hurried to catch her up, pushing Hope in her pram. "Hey, Stace, you alright?"

"Yeah, good. I was just wondering… you're gonna need bar staff at the R&R, right?" She asked, leaning on the handles of the pram. "Any chance of a job?"

Katy grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I don't see why not. You've got experience, right? Besides, I need staff I can trust."

"Thanks, that's so amazing. Thank you."

"No worries. I'll get the paperwork sorted and call over with it in the next week or so, alright?"

"Yeah, anytime. Also, Kat was wondering… have you sorted a cleaning contract yet?"

The younger woman looked a little awkward. "I've literally just been looking through tenders." She admitted. Seeing Stacey's face fall, she sighed. "Look, like I said before, I need staff I trust. Tell Kat to put some numbers together and get them to me in the next couple of days."

"Yeah?" Stacey's eyes lit up hopefully.

"Yeah. I'd rather deal with people I know, anyway. It'll have to be a competitive offer, though, Stace. As much as I like you lot, I am running a business."

"Yeah, course!" She grinned. "I'll keep Nan away from it."

Katy laughed. "Probably for the best."

"Thanks, Katy… seriously, I mean it, yeah."

Watching her rush off in the direction of the Slaters' house, Katy thought for a moment, biting her lip. Then she glanced at the time on her phone and swore softly. She had finally persuaded the company making her signs to redeliver after a mix up meant their previous attempt hadn't worked out, but was running late to meet the driver.

Thankfully, luck seemed to be on her side as, just as she rounded the corner, she saw the van pulling up outside the bar. Grinning at one of the decorators who was leaning against the wall smoking, she greeted the driver politely, before starting to open the package he had delivered.

"Hang on…" She stopped him as he held out his clipboard for her to sign. "Are you sure this is the right one?"

He frowned at her, before glancing at the delivery details. "Katherine Mitchell, 10, Turpin Road?"

"Yeah, but that's not the sign I ordered."

"It is." He retorted grumpily, holding out the clipboard again. "Says right here."

"It's not, so you need to take it away."

"Look, lady, if you're Katherine Mitchell and this is 10, Turpin Road, then this is your sign."

Katy huffed loudly, signalling her displeasure, as though anyone was in any doubt about it. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at the man standing in front of her, resolutely refusing to agree to her demands.

"That's _not_ the sign that I ordered. It's backwards. It was supposed to be pink lettering on a black background… like the rest of the signage."

"Well this is what I was given to deliver to you. If you've got a problem with it you'll have to take it up with the company."

"I ain't having this. It ain't right. You'll have to take it away."

"Oh, come on, lady."

"Don't 'oh come on, lady' me. Just take it back. I'm not accepting something that's wrong."

"Look, I've got other deliveries to make. If you don't like this sign then–"

"I _don't_ like it." Katy assured him, closing the gap between them and jabbing a finger into her chest. "So you are gonna take it back and I'll inform the company why."

Throwing up his hands, the man hefted the sign into his arms and carried it back to the van. Muttering about timewasters and fussy cows, he slammed the driver's door and revved the engine. As he pulled away from the curb and drove away, Katy pulled out her mobile and immediately found the number of the sign company, ready to give them a piece of her mind.

Getting no joy from the sales assistant on the other end of the line, Katy huffed impatiently and glanced at the calendar on her laptop screen. The opening was drawing closer and she still couldn't seem to sort out something as stupid as a sign for the bar. Everything else seemed to be going to plan, as far as Katy could tell anyway, with the suppliers due to make their first deliveries in the week or so and interviews for staff scheduled over the next couple of days.

"Hard at work, then."

Katy glanced up in surprise at the voice that interrupted her search for a new company to provide the sign she wanted. "Sharon?"

"Long time, no see."

"You looking for a job or something?" The younger blonde asked sarcastically. "I'm interviewing next week. I was thinking about giving the Slaters the cleaning contract, but if you give me a better offer the job's yours."

"Phil's disappointed you haven't been to see him."

"I have."

"Not properly. He hasn't really seen the kids."

Katy frowned. "If Phil wants to see me and the kids he can make the effort. It's not my fault he weren't there when we went round to see him."

"Dinner, round ours, tomorrow night." Sharon suggested, her tone leaving the younger woman in very little doubt that it was an order rather than a suggestion. "About six?"

"That includes Gran, yeah?"

Sharon wrinkled her nose disdainfully. "Fine."

"And you'll be civil to her?"

"_Fine_." Sharon huffed. "Just be at ours tomorrow at six, alright?"

Nodding, Katy leant back in her chair and watched as Sharon left the office, shutting the door behind her. So far they'd managed to avoid large gatherings of Mitchells, mainly because Katy wasn't sure she would be able to handle seeing them all together with two very large, obvious holes. Perhaps, though, getting it over and done with would make things a little less tense.

Dialling Glenda's number, she quickly let her know about their plans for the following evening, laughing softly as her grandmother immediately started complaining. Telling her that it was fine if she didn't want to join them, Katy grinned as the older woman immediately backtracked. Checking that Glenda was still happy to pick up the kids that afternoon, Katy returned her attention back to getting either a refund or a new sign.


	9. Chapter 9

Finding that she was getting nowhere with the company, she decided to head over to the Vic for something to eat. Katy decided that the walk would give her a chance to clear her head a little and, hopefully, there would be someone there who would either distract her or give her the opportunity to vent about her latest stress.

"Katy, hi!" Ruby approached as Katy walked along Bridge Street, looking excited about something. Pausing, the blonde waited for her catch her up. "I've had an idea for the opening night."

"Yeah?"

"I've got a mate who's an up-and-coming DJ in Brixton." She continued. "I know you said you weren't keen on the idea, but maybe for the first night, to create a buzz, we could get him to play?"

"Sure, sounds good."

"Really?"

Katy laughed. "You sound surprised that I'm being reasonable."

"Jay told me it was almost impossible to change your mind when you'd decided something." She admitted with a wry smile.

Laughing again, the blonde nodded. "I'm not going to lie, usually he's right. But if you think this will bring in the punters then I'm willing to give it a go."

"We're still definitely looking at the 27th for the opening?"

"Definitely." Katy nodded firmly.

"Cool, I'll ring him in a bit then."

"Fab, thanks, Ruby."

Watching her walk away, Katy decided to head into the Vic for a drink before tackling the sign situation again. She was still battling the company about the situation, growing more and more frustrated by the day.

She dropped onto a stool at the bar, smiling briefly at Shirley and opening her emails while she waited for the older woman to finish serving her customer. The Vic seemed quieter than normal for late afternoon, with only a couple of punters in. Briefly wondering whether there was a reason for it, Katy was quick to smile brightly as Shirley appeared in front of her.

"Alright?"

"Yeah, you? Usual?"

"Thanks." Katy nodded her agreement. "You know, it's getting confusing having two Rubys around. I'm gonna have to give one of them a nickname."

Shirley chuckled. "That reminds me, I need to have a word with you about poaching my staff."

"Hey, Whit's gonna be working for me around her shifts here." The younger blonde said, holding up her hands in surrender. "We've already decided that."

"So how's it all coming on?"

Katy sighed and told her about the sign nightmare she was currently embroiled in. Shirley laughed, telling her to count herself lucky that was the worst problem she had. Nodding in agreement, she asked Shirley how Mick and Linda were enjoying Australia.

Shirley rolled her eyes. "Don't ask."

"Grandma's still in Ireland with Charlie." Katy sighed, doing as she was asked and changing the subject. She rolled her eyes at the mention of Matthew's father. "So she's not going to be able to make it to the opening of the R&R. You'll be there, though, won't ya? I'm throwing a pre-opening party for the family in the afternoon so the kids can come. If you can't make the evening, you'll at least come to that, right?"

"I thought you said it was for family?"

"Yeah… you _are_ family, Shirl." Katy told her firmly.

The delighted expression on Shirley's face was quickly covered up. "When is it?"

"Wednesday 27th."

"Roxy's birthday?"

"You remembered?" Katy smiled in surprise.

"Of course… like you said, we're family, ain't we?"

"Yeah, well… I ain't expecting most people to remember."

Shirley smiled at her. "They'd be really proud, you know?"

Returning the smile, Katy blinked away the tears that had suddenly gathered in her eyes. "Don't get all soppy on me now, Shirl."

Rolling her eyes, Shirley reached out and pushed the younger woman's shoulder gently, before moving away to serve Kush. Katy watched her for a moment, before downing her drink and pulling herself together.

Leaving the pub, she strode back to the bar with newly acquired determination surging through her. Shirley was right; Ronnie and Roxy would be proud of her for what she was doing. A stupid sign company wasn't going to take her down.

With renewed enthusiasm she composed an email to the company who had messed up her order, before starting to search for alternative options.

* * *

"Have you got any idea when your father's going to be back?" Glenda asked later that evening.

With the children in bed, the two women were watching a film and drinking wine. Katy had attempted to convince her grandmother to go to the Vic, but Glenda had been determined to spend the evening with the younger woman.

"None at all." Katy sighed, leaning forward to refill their glasses. "Every time I try and ask he either finds an excuse to end the call or says Penny wants to talk to me. Penny never wants to talk to me."

"What happened between you two?"

Looking at the curious expression on her grandmother's face, Katy sighed. "Nothing. I think it was just too late for us to be sisters. But she's really good with the kids. She never forgets their birthdays or Christmas."

"Sounds like me and my girls… it was just too late for me to be their mother."

"Gran…" Katy reached over and squeezed her hand tightly. "It's OK. There might be–"

"Katherine!" Glenda pushed her hand away. "Why can't you just accept that they're gone! They're not coming back. You saying otherwise is just… it _hurts_, Katherine. Why don't you understand that?"

"Because I don't want them to be gone, that's why." Her granddaughter snapped. "Because admitting that they're gone feels like giving up and if I give up… I'm not quite sure what would happen."

"But one day you're going to realise they really are gone and everything is going to hit you all at once, darling." The older woman said in a softer voice, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't want that to happen. You need to accept it."

"But what if–"

"Katy, please…"

"I don't want to." Katy mumbled, shaking her head and twisting her hands in her lap. "I don't want them to be gone. I miss them so much. I can't…"

"Darling…" Glenda dragged her into her arms and held her tightly. She felt the younger woman break, shaking and sobbing as her emotions exploded out of her. Glenda squeezed her eyes closed, feeling her own tears streaming down her cheeks as they clung to each other. "I miss them too, every single minute of every single day. You and the children… you're all that's keeping me going."

"Why did they have to die? It's so unfair!"

"I know, my darling, I know." Glenda pulled back and pushed Katy's hair out of her face, cupping her cheeks gently and fixing her with a determined look. "But from now on it's you and me. You, me and those kids; they're the future. The kids and making a success of the R&R."

"What if I can't?"

"I have absolutely no doubt about it."

"Everyone thinks I've lost it, don't they?" Katy asked softly. "Thinking there's any chance Mum and Aunty Rox are still alive." When Glenda just sighed in response, she shook her head sadly. "I just can't give up on them. I can't do it."

"Jack wants you to see a shrink."

"I know he does. And you?"

"I just want you to be OK."

"I don't know if I'll ever be OK." Katy told her bluntly. "But I'm a Mitchell and we survive." She stood abruptly, shooting Glenda a weak smile. "I'm gonna head to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

As the younger woman closed her bedroom door with a soft click, Glenda leant back against the sofa cushions and closed her eyes. She felt as though Katy was shutting her out, hiding the full extent of what was going on in her head, because she wasn't enough. She wasn't Ronnie or Roxy. She wasn't the one her granddaughter wanted. She never really would be.

* * *

"Heard you had a run in with a delivery driver."

Glancing up, Katy rolled her eyes at her father and flopped against the back of her chair with a sigh. "Back then, are you?"

"Looks like it." He agreed with a shrug. "So? The driver?"

"He was an idiot. The company sent the wrong sign and he was refusing to take it back. He did in the end, though. Now I've got to fix the issue and get the sign sent out before we open."

"You'll sort it." Jack assured her confidently, dropping onto the sofa opposite her desk.

"Mmm… hopefully." She tilted her head. "What can I do for you?"

"Can't I just pop by and see how my successful business woman of a daughter is doing?"

"Nope." Katy laughed. "What's up?"

"Amy needs a new phone, but I was hoping you'd choose a case for it. I'll never get the right one."

Frowning at him, the blonde shook her head. "Why does she need a phone, let alone a _new_ phone?"

"Apparently she dropped hers down the stairs and smashed it. It's cheaper to get a whole new phone than replace the screen."

"Yeah, but Dad, she's ten. Why does she even need one?"

"So that I know where she is. Ricky has one, too."

"They're kids. They're always with an adult." Katy pointed out, looking amused. "If they need to get hold of you, they just need to ask whoever's looking after them."

"It makes me feel better, alright." He shrugged. "Maybe I should get Ruby one, too."

"Dad, she's seven." Katy reminded him, arching an eyebrow. "Ruby doesn't need a phone. She's a kid."

"Yeah, but she could have one for emergencies." Jack reasoned. "I'll get it for her."

"She doesn't need one!" His daughter repeated firmly. "Do _not_ get her a phone!"

"Yeah, but listen, K," Jack urged, glancing curiously at a pile of invoices on her desk, "you'd never forgive yourself if–"

"Dad, seriously, no." She shook her head. "No phone."

"Fine, fine!"

"D'you know of any more reliable companies for signs?" Katy asked after a moment, sighing.

Jack looked up from the sofa he had settled himself on. "I've got some numbers."

She snorted in amusement. "You've got some numbers? I need a sign for my bar, not a hitman."

"Here… these guys did the sign for the gym."

"Thanks; I'll give them a ring." Katy sighed, leaning back in the chair again. "You know, the sign is not the thing I thought would be most difficult to sort out."

"You got staff yet? I can help out with interviews and stuff if you want."

"Thanks. I've hired Stacey and offered Whit a job and got a couple of interviews lined up for next week. Getting kitchen staff is proving the hardest; anyone would think I'm asking for Michelin star standard rather than someone who can knock up a few paninis and burgers and stuff. Oh and… my mate Nina's gonna be working here too." She told him quickly, before moving on. "I told Stace to get Kat to give me some numbers for the cleaning contract. I'd like to give it to them, but it'll depend on whether they're competitive."

"They do a pretty good job." He acknowledged with a sharp nod. "You're gonna need door staff."

"I know." She chuckled. "I've worked in plenty of clubs and bars, Dad, you know that. I know how it works."

He grinned at her, holding up his hands. "Alright, alright! Just let me know if you need anything, sweetheart, alright?"

"So… what did you really come here for?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Dad, come on. I'm not buying that you came here just to ask me to get Amy a new phone cover."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. Can you babysit tonight?"

"Are you serious? You've literally just got back and I've been looking after your kids the whole time you were away."

"I know, I know!" He held up his hands in surrender. "Just one more night, please?"

"Fine! We're going round to Phil's for dinner, but I can take the kids with us. They're family, after all."

"Yeah? Great. Thanks, Katy."

"You got plans, then?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing special." He replied evasively.

"Oh, come on." She pushed. "What're you doing?"

"Just got some things to sort out, alright?"

"Anything to do with Mel?" His daughter asked, arching an eyebrow and sending him a smirk.

"No." Jack retorted, too quickly to be convincing.

"Look, Dad, I get it, OK?" She shrugged. "You like Mel. It's nothing to do with me, alright? Just because she looks like a rip-off version of Mum and she's running Mum's old club and she–"

"Enough!" Jack snapped, standing up hastily. "I just need you to watch your brother and sister tonight because I've got things to do. Alright?"

"Yeah, sure… Gran was planning to pick them up from school anyway." Katy frowned at him. "Sorry…"

Not acknowledging her apology, Jack turned and stomped out of the office. Katy stared at the door, which was slightly swinging on its hinges, for a moment. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. She knew, though, that it was about more than her low opinion of Mel.

* * *

"You could have told me you were bringing Amy and Ricky." Sharon hissed as she leant past Katy to place a dish of potatoes on the table.

The younger woman shrugged innocently. "I've been looking after them while Dad was away. You knew that. I didn't think it would be a problem."

"It's not, is it, Sharon." Phil cut in, nodding at her.

"Course not." Sharon agreed, although she still didn't look happy.

"So, tell us all about the last two years." Louise pressed, leaning forward and fixing her cousin with an interested expression. "We haven't had time to talk properly and I wanna hear all about it."

Ruby, it seemed, was only too happy to fill her older cousin in about everything that had happened to her since they'd left Walford. Katy smiled, taking a sip of her wine and leaning back in her seat as she listened to her daughter chattering happily about her school trip to the science museum and her sleepover at Carys Edwards' house. Louise shot her a look, clearly trying to indicate that she'd been hoping to hear more about Katy and Tyler's split, but simply received a broad grin in return.

"… sad because I had to leave my boyfriend behind."

Katy sat up, her eyebrows furrowing as she caught the tail end of her daughter's sentence. "Excuse me?"

"You know about my boyfriend."

"Uhhh… no?"

"Jamie Lewis, Katy." Amy informed her, rolling her eyes. "He's in year four. Duh!"

Phil chuckled at the two little girls, who seemed deeply offended that Katy had no idea who they were talking about. "I think your Mum probably had more important things on her mind than Jamie Lewis, eh, Katy?"

"Exactly." She agreed, still frowning at her daughter. "I thought it was Ashley Davies?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "That was in year 2, Mum."

"My bad." Katy held her hands up in surrender. "How're things with you, anyway, Lou."

Thankfully, the teenager launched into a story about something or other that had happened to her a few days before and let Katy off the hook. She caught Phil's eye and smiled when he shook his head in fond amusement.

"So, when are you opening the R&R?" Phil asked suddenly, cutting across his daughter's story.

"The 27th. You're all invited to the opening, obviously." She told them quickly. "I'm throwing a pre-opening party for family so that the kids can be there in the afternoon, too."

Sharon screwed up her face. "The 27th? Isn't that a Wednesday? Why would you open on a Wednesday?"

"Yeah, it's a Wednesday." Katy agreed, nodding. "It's also– "

"Roxy's birthday." Phil said, pleasantly surprising the blonde. "Nice touch. We'll be there."

"Thanks."


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the meal passed calmly. Not even Glenda pulled any stunts that might lead to uncomfortable situations arising. Katy was surprised to find that she wasn't even as irritated by Dennis or his mother as she had been expecting. It had been nice, she decided as they gathered their things to leave, to spend time with their family. Even her mother and aunt's absences hadn't been as obvious as she'd been dreading.

"I'll take Amy and Ricky home if you take Matthew and the girls?" Katy asked her grandmother, earning a small nod. "I shouldn't be long."

"If your father is there."

Katy sighed. "If he's not I'll leave them with Rainie. It'll be fine. I've gotta tell him about Nina, too."

"Good luck with that." Glenda snorted. "He's not going to take too kindly to the fact that she's already in the flat."

Arching an eyebrow at her grandmother, Katy ushered her brother and sister across the Square ahead of her. She smiled as they squabbled over who would be the first to knock on the door, with Amy marginally beating their brother to it.

"Daddy!"

She leant against the pillar as Jack hugged Amy and Ricky, promising there were presents for them as soon as they were changed and ready for bed. Not needing any more incentive, the two children pushed past him and ran up the stairs to do as they were told.

"Cuppa?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind a quick one." Katy agreed, nodding. She followed Jack through to the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe as he set the kettle to boil. "I've got a favour to ask you."

"Is it money?"

She laughed softly. "No, not money. It's my mate Nina."

"Who?"

With a deep sigh, Katy turned and leant on her forearms on the counter. "My mate Nina from Broad Haven is moving here with her kid. I suggested she came down and offered her a job at the bar."

"Yeah?"

Hearing the lack of enthusiasm in his tone, Katy frowned at her father. "She's alright. We met in the Oncology Centre. Her ex is bad news and he's been giving her a bit of bother, so I thought a change of scene might do her good."

"Katy–"

"It'll be fine, dad."

"Where're they gonna stay? There's no space at your flat for anyone else."

"I was hoping you'd let them stay in one of yours until they find somewhere. 5D's still empty, right?"

"I dunno, Katy."

"Please, Dad. She's a mate. She just needs a bit of help to get on her feet around here."

"Alright, alright." Jack held up his hands in defeat. "They can stay there for a couple of months, right?"

"Thanks."

"When are they coming?"

"They're already here." Katy told him, pushing away from the counter and moving to switch the kettle on. "I got the forms from the school so Riley could start ASAP."

"They're already here?" Jack frowned at her, his mind making connections. "You've already said she can have the flat, ain't ya?"

"They might already be _in_ the flat."

"What? How?"

"I got the keys while you were away."

"Bloody hell, Katy!" He exploded. "You cannot do stuff like that!"

"What? You said yes, didn't you?" She pointed out with a shrug.

"I don't have much bloody choice now, do I?"

"Calm down, Dad. She's OK. And if she can't pay the rent for any reason, I'll cover it."

"Katy–"

"She's a mate, Dad, and she needs help, OK?" Seeing that he was going to carry on arguing with her, she sighed and held up a hand. "Look, I've got a massive headache and I need to get home… can we do this another time, please?"

"I thought you were staying for a cuppa?"

"Like I said, my head is killing me."

"Since when?"

"Just came on now." She replied with a sigh, closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, OK? You can yell at me some more then."

* * *

Glenda had taken Matthew and the twins over to the Slaters to play with Tommy and the others, leaving Katy the chance to have a bit of time to herself. Ruby hadn't wanted to go with them, but to her mother's relief she seemed perfectly content playing in her bedroom on her own. The peace and quiet in the flat was giving Katy time to think and she found herself staring at the letter her father had given her again.

Somewhere, deep inside, Katy had never really believed that Ronnie and Roxy were dead. It didn't matter what anyone had told her or what they'd tried to get her to believe.

She had grieved, yes, but there had always been something missing that made her think they weren't really gone. Even in the depths of her despair she had thought that if they were dead she would have felt it in her bones.

But she hadn't.

The letter reaffirmed her thoughts, allowing the tiny spark of hope inside her to ignite once more. She combed through the letter, looking for any clues as to how to get in touch with the sender. She'd even tried calling the number again, but it was still disconnected.

Examining the envelope made her consider calling Carlos in Ibiza. The more Katy looked at the writing, the more convinced she was that it was him who had sent it and she needed answers. Her mobile was in her hand and she was scrolling through her contacts before she knew what she was doing.

Just as her finger hovered over the 'call' button, Ruby ran into the room and threw herself onto the sofa beside her mother. Wiping a hand hastily over her eyes and pushing the letter down the side of the cushions, Katy turned and fixed her daughter with a soft smile.

"Hey, angel, are you OK?"

"Can we get a kitten now?"

Katy furrowed her eyebrows. "What? What's made you think of that?"

"You said that as soon as we owned our own house we could get a kitten. Dad said we couldn't have one before and you said that the landlord wouldn't let us have pets. You promised that when we moved we could get one."

"Uhhh… I mostly said that because your dad said no." Katy said with a small shrug.

"But you did promise." Ruby reminded her. "And you always keep your promises."

Exhaling sharply, cursing her daughter's memory, Katy nodded slowly. "Fine, but we're adopting one from a shelter, OK?"

"Can we go now?"

"Not right now, no." Katy shook her head, chuckling at the eager face in front of her. "We'll have to wait for Matthew and the twins."

"But you promise we can get one?"

"I promise."

Laughing softly, she watched as Ruby skipped away, no doubt already thinking of names for her future kitten. Once she was sure the seven-year-old was safely in her bedroom, Katy pulled the crumpled paper out from under the cushions and looked at it again.

With a deep sigh, she tucked the letter back into the envelope and moved across the room to replace it in the dresser drawer. Katy bit her lip, her hand still on the handle. Just as she had finally decided to call Carlos, the flat door opened and her younger brother and sister burst in.

"Dad gave us his keys." Amy explained as Ricky immediately dropped onto the recently vacated sofa and turned the television on. "He said that you'd make us some lunch and watch us until he came back."

"Did he now?" Katy asked, arching an eyebrow. "Where's he gone?"

The ten-year-old shrugged. "I don't know."

"Right, fine… cheese and pickle sandwiches?"

When they nodded in agreement, Katy went into the kitchen and started on the sandwiches. She briefly thought about where their father could have gone, wondering whether it had anything to do with Mel. It hadn't been more than a week since he'd come home from his trip to France and she secretly thought he was out of order leaving the children with her again.

"Katy?" Amy appeared suddenly in the kitchen, watching her older sister making lunch. Licking butter off her finger, the older Mitchell made a noise to signal she was listening. "What does 'our sort' mean?"

"Uhhh? In what context?"

"What?"

"What was the rest of the sentence?"

"Oh," she scrunched up her nose, thinking, "it was something like, 'I can't come to your sleepover because your sister might be there and my mum says she doesn't want me being around your sort.'"

"Who…?" Katy clenched her fists, turning and trying not to glare at Amy. "Someone said that to you? Who the hell was it?"

"Melissa Cooper."

"Right… you point her out to me next time I come and pick you up."

"But what does it mean?"

"It means her mum thinks she's better than us." Katy informed her irritably. "She thinks we're not good enough for her precious daughter to spend time with."

"Why?" Amy scrunched up her nose again. "Why would she think that?"

"Because people are fucking idiots."

"Katy!"

"What?"

"Dad said you're not supposed to swear in front of us."

"Do you see him anywhere?" Katy asked, arching an eyebrow and bad-temperedly moving the sandwiches onto plates. "Look, kid, you might as well hear it from me; people don't usually like us, just because we're Mitchells. Round here, they hear the name and immediately think we're all thugs and lowlifes. Admittedly, some of us are, but the rest of us get a rough ride because of it."

"But that's not fair."

"Life's not fair, sweetie. The sooner you get used to that, the better."

"What are you gonna do about what I told you?"

"I just wanna have a word with Melissa's mum about what her kid said."

Amy sighed deeply. "Please don't be embarrassing."

"I'm not having people saying stuff like that about you, Amy." Katy told her firmly. "We gotta stand up for ourselves or people are gonna take the piss."

* * *

"Your mate's gone." Jack announced, striding into the office and leaning against Katy's desk. When she looked up at him in confusion, he sighed. "Your mate Nina who was staying in 5D? She's done a runner."

"What d'you mean?"

"I mean she posted the keys through my letter box with a note saying thanks and the rent she owed and she's gone."

Frowning, Katy pulled out her mobile and tried dialling Nina's number. It rang until the answerphone kicked in, so she left a message asking her to call back. Confused, Katy dropped the mobile onto the surface in front of her and turned back to her father.

"Did the note say anything else?"

"Nah, just thanks for letting her stay there." He said with a shrug.

"She wouldn't have just _gone_."

"Well she has." Jack replied evenly. "Look, unless she rings you back there's nothing you can do, is there?" Sensing that she was still thinking about it, he tried to lighten the mood. "The new sign looks good."

"Yeah? It's not exactly what I wanted, but it's OK." She said with a sigh. "At least it's right this time!"

"You got everything under control?"

Katy pulled a face. "The opening is a week today. I'm convinced something is going to happen to ruin it."

"It's gonna be great." Jack assured her gently. "I'm so proud of you. Ronnie would be too."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Look, I've gotta get going, but if there's anything you need me to do just let me know, alright?"

"Yeah, I will. Thanks."

Watching her father leave the bar, Katy chewed on her lip thoughtfully as she considered what might have caused her friend to disappear without a word. She knew that there was something more to it than Nina changing her mind about staying in Walford. Every conversation they'd had since her friend had moved led Katy to believe that she was happy there.

Worried, she tried calling Nina's number several times; the same robotic message reaching her ears every time. Swearing, Katy decided to call several of their mutual acquaintances, hoping that someone had heard from the other woman. No one had.

"Katy?"

"Shirl, hi. You alright?" Glancing up with a smile, the blonde pushed her mobile into her back pocket. Not answering her question, the older woman merely looked at her with worry etched all over her features. When she continued to stare at her silently, Katy furrowed her eyebrows. "What's the matter?"

"I dunno if I should tell you this."

"Shirley? You're scaring me."

"Jean's got cancer."

Opening her mouth a couple of times, Katy realised she didn't quite know what to say. Instead she grabbed two glasses and filled them with healthy measures of vodka, before handing one to Shirley and moving to sit on one of the sofas. After a long moment Shirley followed her.

"What type?"

Shirley shrugged. "I dunno."

"So how…?"

"It don't matter how I know." She replied gruffly. "She ain't dealing with it very well."

"I'm sympathetic, of course I am, but… I don't understand why you've told me." Katy admitted softly. "I very much doubt Jean will appreciate me attempting to support her. She'll probably be furious that you've told me in the first place."

"Katy… maybe I just wanted to talk about it." Shirley pointed out with a shrug. "You ain't the only one around here who's had cancer."

She winced as the older woman headed for the door, calling out fruitlessly as Shirley disappeared. "I'm sorry… Shirl?"

* * *

No sooner had Jack walked out of the R&R than he found himself being commandeered by his mother-in-law. Things between Jack and Glenda had been much less strained since their return to the Square, but they were hardly on the terms where they strolled down the street arm-in-arm.

"Glenda?"

"I'm worried about Katy." She admitted quietly, nodding her head towards the café.

Following her inside and signalling that they wanted two teas, Jack settled himself at the table in the corner and waited for Glenda to elaborate. She took her time settling herself and waited for their drinks to be placed in front of them before sighing.

"What's wrong with her? Is she ill?"

Glenda shook her head. "No, nothing like that. It's this… unshakable belief… that Veronica and Roxanne…"

"She still thinks they might be alive?"

"Even Dot couldn't get through to her. She suggested that they went to the graves together but Katy refused to go. She wouldn't even go to Peggy's or Pat's. She won't ever take Veronica's locket off. Matthew accidentally broke the chain last year and she went absolutely mental at him. She refused to let me buy a new one… insisted that it was fixed instead."

"I told you that you should have got her to see someone about this." Jack snapped impatiently. "I knew she hadn't dealt with this. She never even said goodbye to them."

"Because in her head they're not gone! I've tried talking to her, I've tried to get her to see that it's not helping her… but she won't admit that there's no chance she'll see them again."

"And that's exactly the problem, Glenda." He pointed out, temper rising again. "She thinks they're coming back."

* * *

_**A/N: Happy birthday Roxy!**_

_**Also, thank you for reading, following, etc. Special thanks to Leah and Bonnie Sveen Fan for leaving reviews - even if I'm not completely convinced that Bonnie Sveen Fan isn't somehow secretly reading the upcoming chapters ;)**_

_**Becki :)**_


	11. Chapter 11

"Katy! Katy that's her!" Her little sister jabbed her finger in the direction of a tall brunette who was talking to a girl who looked around Amy's age. "That's Melissa Cooper and her mum."

"Right…" She glanced around, catching sight of Ricky and Ruby playing with some of their friends at the other end of the playground. "Oi! You two! Get over here, now!"

They came running at her shout, accepting their bags and coats without question. Nodding her head in the direction of the woman she wanted to speak to, Katy lead the way across the concrete. She could hear the whispered comments and feel the pointed gazes on her but, unless any of them actually vocalised their views about her in any of the children's hearing she wasn't too bothered about what they thought.

"I hear you've got a problem with my family?" She came to an abrupt halt in front of Melissa and her mother, staring them down unblinkingly.

"I'm sure I don't know–"

Katy laughed mirthlessly. "Don't even try that one. Amy told me what your kid said to her. That you don't want her mixing with our sort?"

"Amy must have got the wrong–"

"No, no." She shook her head, taking another step towards the woman. "Amy didn't get the wrong end of the stick at all. But I'm a little bit confused as to what you think 'our sort' are? Do you have a problem with loving, loyal families? Or is it women owning and running their own businesses that you have an issue with?" She took another step forward. "Or could it possibly be that you've heard totally fictitious rumours about my family and now you're punishing my ten-year-old sister for it?"

"No, of course not!" The woman shook her head vehemently.

"Because if that's the case I'm going to be really fucking angry."

"No, I'm sure this is just–"

"What's your name?"

The woman blinked, clearly confused by the question. "Sh-Shelly."

"Do you know the one thing that really pisses me off, Shelly?" When she simply shook her head, Katy smiled coldly. "The one thing that really pisses me off is when someone upsets my family; especially the kids. And what do you think happens when I'm really pissed off?"

"I… don't know."

"If I were you I'd keep it that way." Katy suggested calmly. Then she turned her gaze on the woman's daughter, smiling again. "I'm sorry, Melissa, I'm gonna have to take back your invitation to Amy's sleepover… I'm a bit picky about who my sister spends time with." Her eyes flicked back to the woman. "I'm sure your mum knows what I mean. So… do we understand each other, Shelly?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Good… Well, I'm sure I'll see you soon." Katy smiled brightly and then turned abruptly, winking at the three children behind her. "Come on, kids. Tea with Aunty Whit at the Vic?"

Amy slipped her hand into her sister's as they walked away, watching Ricky and Ruby racing each other to the gate. "Thanks, Katy. That was so cool."

"Mmm… she shouldn't have upset you." Katy sighed. "And I shouldn't have said what I said to Melissa."

"She's a bitch and she deserved it."

"Amy!"

"What?" The ten-year-old rolled her eyes. "She is."

"Well don't repeat that." Katy warned her, a smirk twisting her lips as they caught up with the other two. "And it's probably best if you don't mention that conversation to Dad or Gran. You know what they're like."

"Are we really going to the Vic for tea?" Ricky asked, clearly already having forgotten the conversation she was referring to. "Excellent!"

Running a hand through her hair, Katy nodded and smiled at him. As the children chattered happily, Katy followed them back to the Square. Despite promising them they could go to the pub, she was suddenly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home and close the door on the rest of the world. She refused, however, to let the kids down, so she painted a smile on her face and ushered them through the doors into the Vic.

As soon as they were settled in a booth, Whitney wandered over and perched on the end of the bench next to Amy, grinning at them all. They chattered for a while before she went to take their orders to Shirley in the kitchen and the children occupied themselves. Katy rested her chin on her palm, staring into space and thinking about various things until their food appeared.

"Can I have a quick work, Katy?"

Glancing up at the young woman who'd spoken, she nodded quickly and told them to behave. Ruby led the way over to the bar and perched on a stool, before launching into an explanation of an issue that had come up with the planning for the opening night. Katy sighed and ran both hands through her hair agitatedly.

"We can't change the date." She reminded the older woman, shaking her head. "It's got to be the 27th. Find a different DJ if you have to."

"We were getting a really good deal. If we try and book someone else now it's gonna be really expensive. It's only two days away."

Katy shrugged. "It's fine. Just find someone good, Ruby, right? Oh… do me a favour and give Jay a chance. He's a really good guy and he's not sure what he's done wrong."

"He hasn't done anything wrong."

"Just give him a break then, yeah?" She sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry… I hate people getting involved in my relationships. I just… I hate seeing Jay moping around."

Looking a little unconvinced, the brunette nodded and moved away to sit with Stacey. Katy watched her for a moment, before rejoining the children. Amy looked at her seriously, but her older sister simply smiled and pushed a chip in her mouth to prevent her asking any questions.

"Do we get to miss school on Wednesday?" Ricky asked, mumbling around a mouthful of food.

"Finish chewing before you talk." His older sister ordered, rolling her eyes at him. "But no, you don't."

"Why? We could help."

Katy laughed at the suggestion. "You'd get under our feet. There's nothing you could do, so you might as well go to school and then Gran and Dad will bring you over when it's time."

"But I wanna–"

"Amy, no."

"Katy!"

"Look, if you're gonna whine about it you won't be coming, alright?" The older blonde snapped, catching sight of her grandmother entering the pub. "Hang on… Gran?"

"Ah, there you are!" Glenda smiled around. "Hello, my darlings."

"You had a good day?" Katy asked as her grandmother slid onto the bench beside Amy and put an arm around her.

"Yes, thank you. Got a new outfit for opening night. Have you got yours sorted yet?"

Snorting with amusement, her eldest granddaughter shook her head. "Not a chance. I've got too much to worry about to think about outfits."

"We could go shopping together?"

"I really haven't got time, Gran. Sorry."

"Jack's asked if you'll have the kids again."

Katy almost slammed her glass down on the table at the statement. "You what? _Again_? Where is he?"

"I don't know, darling, sorry." Glenda held a folded scrap of paper in her granddaughter's direction. "I found this stuck on the front door."

As the younger blonde read the note, which told her nothing more than her grandmother had, the three eldest children looked at her curiously. When Amy opened her mouth to speak, Glenda shook her head and smiled weakly, squeezing the ten-year-old's shoulder.

"This is getting ridiculous." Katy muttered.

"Don't you want us?"

Exhaling sharply, Katy reached across the table and squeezed Ricky's hand. "Of course I do, sweetie. It's not that at all. It's just…"

"Dad's selfish and thoughtless." Amy finished for her with a knowing nod.

Exchanging a look, the two women snorted in amusement. "Well, yes," Katy agreed, "but it's more that he keeps going AWOL, I have no idea where he is and I have things I need to do."

"There's a problem with the R&R." Her younger sister told their grandmother conspiratorially. "Ruby came to tell her something and she didn't look happy."

"It's just a booking thing. It's fine." Katy dismissed it quickly before Glenda could ask any questions. "But I have other things I need to be doing. I've got the lighting guys coming to do the final bits at six and the DJ was supposed to be coming to do a sound check at eight, but now that's fallen through I'm gonna need to sort someone to come and do that tomorrow instead. I've got three separate deliveries tomorrow as well and the builders still haven't signed off on the final checks. I haven't even finished going through all the council paperwork about the kitchen, yet! The opening is the day after tomorrow."

"You go now." Glenda said firmly. "I'm here and I'll sort things. Take as long as you need, darling. We'll be fine, won't we?"

Sending her a grateful smile, Katy gathered her things and warned the children to behave, before hurrying from the Vic.

* * *

"Katy…?"

"What is it, Ames?" She sighed tiredly, moving her head slightly so that she could look at her sister.

"Will you come to Mummy's grave with me?"

Katy froze. "What?"

"I made her a birthday card and I wanna give it to her."

"Can't you ask Dad or Gran to…?"

Amy shook her head. "I want you."

"Ames… I don't think I can." Katy admitted quietly. "It's… it's too… it hurts too much."

"Please, Katy."

Katy closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. She didn't want to see the graves. She didn't want to read the words written on them. She didn't want to stand in front of them and be faced with undeniable evidence that they were really dead.

"Fine." She agreed at last. "Fine."

That was how the next day, the day before Roxy's birthday and the R&R's opening, Katy found herself standing in a graveyard and resolutely doing her best to avoid looking at the two headstones directly in front of her. Amy had placed an envelope on her mother's grave and patted her aunt's headstone fondly.

Behind her, Katy pushed her hands into her coat pockets firmly and scuffed the toe of her boot into the grass, wishing she was anywhere else. She didn't want the burning feeling behind her eyelids or the lump that was blocking her throat and she certainly didn't want her little sister to realise she was so affected by their location.

Amy slipped her hand into her sister's suddenly. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"You can always tell me anything."

"I don't think Mum's really dead."

Katy turned to look at her carefully, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to work out if Amy was being serious. "Why?"

"I don't feel like she's gone. Or Aunty Ronnie. I think I'd feel it, in here." She put her free hand on her chest and shook her head. "I don't feel like they're dead."

"Amy, I… I don't feel like they are either." Katy admitted, earning herself a large, beaming smile from her sister. "Have you told anyone else you think that?"

"I told Dad, but… he got cross and told me not to be silly."

Katy nodded slowly. "He told me the same thing… and Gran did."

"That's why I wanted to bring the birthday card." Amy said, looking at the envelope propped against her mother's headstone. "I wanted to bring it so that if Mum comes here she'd see it and she'd know that I still love her."

"She knows that, Ames."

"Dad doesn't like talking about them. I do, but only talking about them being alive. I feel like if I talk about them being dead it'll make it true. That's why I didn't tell Dad you were ill when you told me to."

"Why?"

"I was scared that if I told him then you'd get worse and it would be my fault."

"Oh, Ames…" Sighing deeply, Katy pulled her sister into a tight, sideways hug and dropped a kiss onto the top of her head. "Whatever happens to me because of this stupid, horrible disease it will not be your fault. You need to believe that, OK?"

"You won't tell Dad that I still think Mum and Aunty Ronnie are alive, will you? He just gets sad and cross."

"I won't if you won't." Katy promised. "Mitchell sisters, together forever, right?"

"Mitchell sisters, together forever." Amy repeated.

Katy was almost relieved when she'd dropped Amy back with Jack. She took a deep breath as she crossed the Square and let herself into the house. She knew that Glenda would be upstairs with the children, so she didn't even bother to check her flat before climbing the stairs and going inside.

As she'd suspected, her grandmother was lounging on the sofa flicking through channels on the television. She smiled weakly as she hung her coat on the peg, before dropping down beside the older woman and resting her head on her shoulder.

Glenda patted her cheek fondly and leant her own head on top. "You alright, darling?"

"Fine."

"And how do you feel now?" Glenda asked gently, sitting up and brushing Katy's hair off her face. "Now that you've been to their graves, now that you've seen…?"

"Nothing." Katy told her calmly. "I felt nothing, Gran. I looked at those graves, I read the inscriptions, read Mum and Aunty Roxy's names… and I felt nothing."

"Darling–"

Katy shook her head. "I know you think I'm mad. I know you want me to accept what everyone is saying… what everyone thinks is the truth… but I can't. I can't believe that they're really gone. I thought… I thought that being there, seeing the graves, would make it feel real. I thought that I wouldn't be able to deny it anymore. But it didn't make me feel that at all. It made me more certain that they're still alive."

Glenda put her head in her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks and dropping onto the fabric of her trousers. "You can't keep saying this, Katy. You can't. It's destroying me."

"Gran, please just trust me. Do you honestly feel like they're gone? Do you feel like they're dead?"

"Yes, Katherine. Yes, I do!"

"Well I don't." She shook her head vehemently. "You can believe it if you want to, but I refuse to give in."


	12. Chapter 12

The day of R&R's opening finally arrived and Katy was growing more and more tense. She was determined that, because the bar was a tribute to her mother and aunt, the grand opening had to be perfect. The first opening would be for close friends and family. Obviously they were having a promotional public opening later that evening, but it felt right that the children were included in the actual initial viewing of the bar.

"Just bring 'em over for a bit and see if Lou or someone can watch them, yeah?" Katy said, clamping her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she hefted a crate of champagne bottles off the floor and carried them over to the bar. "Yeah, Gran, I know. Dad's on his way back now and he'll get here as soon as he can. I dunno where he is! He said something about Sonia." She huffed loudly, listening to her grandmother's arguments. "Yeah, but she's your grandkid and he might as well be, so I don't see why it's such a big deal. Fine, fine… just bring them over here then."

Rolling her eyes at the fuss Glenda was making about having to look after Ricky and Amy as well as Ruby, Matthew and the twins, Katy started stacking the bottles in the fridge irritably. She knew that her grandmother was mostly annoyed because she had wanted to take her time getting ready so that she looked her best for the opening. Katy understood, but she also had very little patience for the older blonde's dramatics considering everything else that was going on.

As Katy banged the bottles into place, she missed the sound of the door shutting and jumped as a voice cut through the silence.

"I heard today's the grand opening."

"Uhh… Tyler?"

He grinned at her, pushing his hands into his pockets almost nervously. "Hi. You're looking good."

"Thanks?" She blinked, straightening up slowly and frowning. "I don't mean to sound rude, but what are you doing here?"

"It's just a fleeting visit. I thought I'd come and see you and the kids. Whitney told me this place was looking good." When Katy just nodded slowly, he sent her a lopsided grin. "As soon as you told me about your plans, I knew you'd make it work."

"Just not with you."

"Come on, K. We went through this. _You_ kicked _me_ out."

"With good reason, Tyler." She reminded him, starting up the stairs to the upper floor. He followed and she sighed, bending to check the stock in the fridge behind the bar.

"Yeah and I'm sorry, but–"

"Daddy!"

He broke off as thundering footsteps on the stairs met their ears and Ruby flew towards him, leaping at Tyler and grinning as he swung her up into the air. Rolling her eyes, turning away rather than watching the scene unfolding in the middle of the room.

"Tyler." Glenda's tone was enough to drop the temperature in the room significantly.

"Glenda, you alright?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I was in the area and thought I'd come and see my favourite munchkins." He told her lightly, distracted by the children fighting for his attention.

"Not staying long, then?"

"Gran, leave it." Katy requested firmly. "I need your help."

Scowling at the young man, Glenda followed her granddaughter into the office and folded her arms. While Katy avoided meeting her eyes by focusing her attention on the laptop on her desk, she tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the younger woman to say something. Finally, growing bored, she leant on the surface between them and fixed her with a determined stare.

"Katherine, what is he doing here?"

"Like he said, he was in the area and popped in." Katy informed her with a shrug. "That's what he told me, anyway. He just turned up a couple of minutes before you did."

"Katy… after what he made you do–"

"Tyler didn't _make_ me do anything."

"He didn't leave you with much choice though, did he? Running off to Spain and leaving you to deal with–"

"Gran, seriously! Enough. I don't know why he's here." She snapped. "I've got a million and one things to do and I don't have time for this crap. Are you going to help me or not?"

Glenda sighed deeply. "Of course, darling. I just–" She stopped, before reaching out and grasping her granddaughter's arm. "What's that?"

Katy craned her neck to see what she was looking at. "A bruise? I don't know!"

"Where did it come from?"

"I don't know! I've been carrying crates around; it's not exactly surprising I've got bruises, is it?"

"Katherine, you know the doctor said to watch out for–"

"Gran, stop!"

"OK, OK!" She held up her hands reluctantly backing off. "What do you want me to do?"

Katy immediately gave her a list of jobs to do before the rest of the family turned up for the opening. Glenda knew better than to try and push the point, not mentioning Tyler's presence again. Grateful for that, her granddaughter smiled warmly as she passed, pressing a kiss to her cheek before Glenda headed out to finish stocking the bar.

"Mumma, can daddy stay with us?"

"No." Katy replied bluntly, avoiding looking at her daughter so that she didn't see her expression. "Sorry, Ruby, but no. We've got too much going on."

"But–"

"I said no."

"I hate you!" The seven-year-old shouted, before storming out of the office.

Katy rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the dramatics. She tried not to take the comment too personally, although she felt it like a kick to the chest.

"She didn't mean it, you know."

Katy glared at Tyler as he leant in the doorway. "I think I know my daughter well enough to know that, thanks. Don't even think about telling me about my children. Especially after you walked out on them without a backwards glance."

"You're unbelievable, you know that?" He told her angrily, moving further into the room.

"Me? How is your new girlfriend, by the way?"

"Don't even go there, Katy."

"What?" She snapped. "I'm not allowed to be pissed off with you?"

"You told me to go!"

"Because you said you had feelings for someone else!" Katy spat furiously. "I told you that I wanted to come back here, so that my children would have their family around them and you told me you had feelings for someone else!"

"That's just it, Katy. _Your_ children. You wanted to come back so _your_ children would have their family around them." He retorted, more weary than angry. "Whatever you said, you've never considered me part of their family, or yours."

"And you proved that I was right to think that, didn't you?" She snapped. "You found something better and you left us."

"Because you never let me in, Katy!" He challenged her, finally getting fed up with her attacks. "You never completely trusted me or let me into your life. Jack told me once that he always felt on the outskirts of Ronnie's life because you and Roxy and the kids were the only people she truly trusted. You are exactly like her. That's why you're going to wake up one day and realise that you are completely alone."

"So why are you here then, Tyler, eh?"

"I told you. I'm here to see Matthew and the girls."

"Right, well, you've seen them now, so you can fuck off again."

He shook his head, looking at her pityingly. "Why are you so terrified of me being here?"

"I'm not! I just don't want you–"

"Is it because I know what you've done and you're petrified I'm going to tell your precious family?"

"Tyler." Katy said warningly, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You should leave before they get here."

"I ain't scared of your dad."

"Maybe you should be."

Tyler laughed mirthlessly. "Nah. You're the one I'm scared of, Katy. I've seen what you're like when someone threatens the people you care about. I know what you do to them. Carl White, for example? Or Ruby's dad?"

"Don't you dare–"

"What? Worried someone's going to hear?"

"Maybe you should leave again, then." Katy suggested angrily.

"Did you really expect me to stay?"

"I did what I had to do." Katy told him bluntly, folding her arms over her chest. "Because of what _you_ did."

"No." He jabbed his finger in her direction. "No, you did _not_ have to sleep with him."

"I had very little choice, Tyler. You owed him thousands and you'd fucked off to Spain and left me to deal with it."

"I was getting the money."

"Not fast enough!"

"I still don't understand why you didn't just pay him off. Why the hell did you have to sleep with him?"

Katy glared at him furiously. "Because the money I have is for the kids' futures. It's for building something for them. There was no way I was going to hand it over to Andrew Quinnan because _you_ owed him money!"

"So you had sex with him instead?"

"Yeah, because it's what I do." She spat back. "I don't see why you're complaining anyway; it got him off your back, didn't it?"

"That's not the point!"

"It's exactly the point." Katy said bluntly. "You got us into a mess and I got us out." She huffed, catching sight of the time. "I've gotta get on. You should probably leave before Dad and the others start arriving."

Tyler rolled his eyes and made no sign that he was planning on following her advice. Ignoring him, Katy left the office and went in search of her grandmother. Glenda informed her that Louise had come to get the kids and that she was going to go and get changed ready.

"Thanks." Katy called after her as she left, passing Whitney and Stacey on their way in. "Hi, girls."

"All set?" Stacey asked, looking around interestedly.

"Yeah… Ian should be dropping the food off soon and then it's just a few finishing touches before everyone starts arriving at about 4." She told them, forcing herself not to display the nerves she was feeling. "The DJ is arriving at about half five to start setting up. Hopefully we'll open the doors at half seven. Are you sure you're OK to be here?"

"I'm fine. It's gonna be great." Stacey assured her, squeezing her arm and heading round the bar to finish off where Glenda had stopped.

"It is." Whitney agreed with a broad grin. "Mick's phoned Shirley and told her to shut the Vic for a couple of hours specially."

"What?" Katy blinked in surprise.

Her friend nodded. "Yeah, he said he wants everyone here to support you. Don't get used to it, though. He wouldn't do it for anyone else."

Touched, Katy simply nodded, not knowing what to say. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was only about fifteen minutes before her family started arriving. Wondering where Ian was with the buffet, she breathed a sigh of relief as the door opened and he appeared, laden with plates. Kathy stepped in behind him, smiling warmly at the younger blonde and asking where she wanted them to set things up.

"Whit…" Katy pulled her to one side, chewing her lip. "Tyler's up in the office."

"What?" The brunette's eyes lit up at the news. "Why's he here? Oh my god, are you back together?"

"No." Her friend replied firmly. "We're not. He said he was in the area and came to see the kids. I've told him to leave, but he won't go."

"That's good, though! Katy, he obviously wants you to take him back."

"It's not going to happen, Whit. Too much has happened and I've got too much going on. Besides, his life is in Spain now and mine's here. It wouldn't work."

"So… what do you want me to do?"

"Get rid of him. Point out that bumping into Dad or Phil wouldn't be good for his health."

"And if he won't go?"

Katy sighed, shaking her head. "He'll just have to deal with them."

There was a pause and Whitney bit her lip. "Is there any chance I can duck out early?"

"What? Why?"

"I need to get home."

With a frown, Katy looked at her for a long moment, trying to work out what her best friend wasn't telling her. "I really need you here tonight, Whit."

"I know… I just…"

"Alright," the blonde held up her hands and nodded, "I know you wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. I might be able to get Gran to cover you later."

Whitney thanked her and hurried off distractedly, clutching her phone. Katy didn't have time to dwell on the conversation and, before she knew it, people were starting to swarm into the club, but she still hadn't noticed her ex leaving. Aunt Sal was among the first to arrive and she distracted Katy by congratulating her loudly, telling her she'd done her mother and Aunty Peggy proud. Everyone else seemed impressed with the remodel as well, even Phil complimenting her on the décor of the bar.

"You invited Aunt Sal?" Glenda appeared and laid a hand on her granddaughter's arm. She glanced incredulously towards the old lady who was apparently enjoying herself finding fault with the paintings on the walls. "Really? Aunt _Sal_?"

"Of course I did, Gran." Katy replied with a shrug. "She's Aunt Sal. She had to be here."

"You gonna make a speech?" Jack asked, appearing beside Katy and nudging her in the ribs. He handed her a glass of the complementary champagne she'd laid on and grinned.

"Uhhh? I wasn't planning to."

"You have to." Glenda announced from her other side. She picked up a fork and knocked it against her glass, getting everyone's attention. "Katy's going to make a speech."

"I… thanks, Gran." She muttered, frowning at the older woman and making everyone laugh. "Well, as you all know – and if you don't you should have – today would have been Aunty Roxy's birthday." Katy began, looking around at the assembled members of her family. "I couldn't think of a better day to open the R&R and I think she would have approved.

"Ronnie and Roxy were my two most favourite people in the world. They were kind, caring, funny, determined, focused, loyal, strong, loving and beautiful. They were everything that I have _ever_ aspired to be. They shaped me into the woman I am today.

"The R&R is my tribute to their memory and their legacy. I know that they would been immensely proud of Amy, Ricky, Ruby, Jessica, Sophie and Matthew. This bar is going to be part of their future and hopefully it'll allow them to do everything Ronnie and Roxy would have wished for them." Katy smiled, raising her glass. "So, before we cut the ribbon and we take the first orders at the new R&R, please raise your glasses to Veronica and Roxanne Mitchell. To Ronnie and Roxy!"

"And," Jack cut in before everyone started talking again, "I think we need to raise our glasses to you, Katy. It's been a tough few years but I don't think anyone here would argue with the fact that you've done us, yourself and Ronnie and Roxy proud. To Katy."

She blushed, scooping Sophie in to her arms and hiding her face in her daughter's hair as everyone echoed her name.

"Mumma, I wanna go down." Her daughter told her, struggling in her arms.

"Alright, baby." Katy agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"He's right, you know." Tyler told her, appearing at her side from nowhere. "You're amazing. Ronnie and Roxy would be incredibly proud of you."

"I thought I told you to go." Katy muttered, sighing and giving up on trying to keep hold of her wiggling daughter. She handed Sophie over to Tyler, folding her arms defensively. "I don't want you here."

"And I said I wasn't going."

Shaking her head, Katy turned and walked away from him. She made her way over to where Shirley and Tina were knocking back drinks in the corner and smiled tightly at them. In unison, they looked past her towards where Tyler was still standing, before turning incredulous looks on her.

"Why did you invite Tyler?"

"I didn't." She snapped in response. "I don't want him here."

"What exactly did he do?" Tina asked interestedly, craning her neck to see past the younger woman.

"_He_ didn't do anything."

"Oh…" Shirley's eyes widened in understanding. "You cheated on him?"

"No!" Katy scowled, before exhaling sharply. "Not exactly."

"But it was obviously something because you broke up." Tina pressed. "But he's here? If it was something you did and he's here anyway–?"

"No chance, Tina." The young woman shook her head firmly. "It's done. I'm not going back there. I've got too much to think about without dealing with an overgrown child who refuses to grow up and deal with things like an adult."

Arching an eyebrow, Shirley shrugged. "Remind me not to get on the wrong side of you."

Sending her a tight smile, Katy moved away, mingling with the guests. She laughed as Louise asked whether she could have a job, promising that as soon as Phil agreed she'd hire her. As the teenager turned to her father hopefully, she received a raised eyebrow in response and let out a small huff of irritation.

Grinning, the older Mitchell moved away towards her grandmother, laying her hand on Glenda's arm and leaning in to ask whether she was enjoying herself. Glenda fixed Katy with a broad, proud smile and pulled her into a tight hug. Pulling away and holding the young woman at arm's length, tears sprang to her eyes as she reiterated how proud she was.

"I love you, Gran." Katy muttered in her ear, pulling her into another tight hug.

"I love you, too." Glenda replied without a second's hesitation, cupping her face gently.

"I'd better go and help Stace behind the bar."


	13. Chapter 13

"So… you and Tyler, eh?"

Katy sighed, sending her father a sideways look. "What?"

"Any chance you'll get back together?" Seeing the expression on her face, Jack shrugged. "He's back… clearly there's something still between you. You could do a lot worse."

"Since when have _you_ been a fan of Tyler Moon?"

"I ain't saying that." He assured her quickly. "But you and him are like me and Ronnie, ain't ya? On and off more times than a streetlight."

"That's not a thing." Katy informed him, slightly sulkily.

"Nah, all I'm saying is that you're good together. You love each other, K, and you need that support."

"Mmm…"

"Look, whatever he did–"

"_He_ didn't do anything, dad."

Jack paused, not looking entirely surprised. "Well… whatever happened, I'm sure you can work it out."

"Where were you earlier, anyway?" His daughter asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"There was something I needed to sort."

"Something blonde?"

"Katy."

"Look, Dad," she sighed, leaning on the bar and fixing him with a hard look, "if you wanna see Mel, that's your business. Just be honest with me, yeah?"

"I weren't with Mel, OK?"

"Whatever you say."

Rolling her eyes at him, Katy moved away to serve Tina and Shirley, grinning at them and letting herself be drawn into a conversation. She steadfastly avoided looking anywhere near where Tyler was standing, entertaining the children.

She carefully avoided him until the party was wrapping up. Letting Whitney and Stacey head off for a bit until they opened again that evening, Katy waved at the children as they happily headed home with Glenda and Jack. Katy laughed as Aunt Sal informed her the afternoon hadn't been as awful as she'd been expecting, pressing a kiss to the old woman's cheek and promising to visit soon.

When she looked around next, there was no sign of Tyler in the bar. Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, convinced that he wouldn't have just gone without saying anything, she started the clean up operation. It was incredibly helpful in keeping her mind off things and, by the time Whitney and Stacey reappeared with Ruby, she had almost finished clearing everything away.

They laughed together as they restocked the bar and Ruby introduced the DJ she had managed to hire at the last minute. Arching an eyebrow as the events coordinator announced she was going to take some photos for social media, Katy warned her not to catch her yet, before disappearing up to the office to change and sort her hair and make up out.

"Looking gorgeous, Miss Mitchell." Max told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek when she finally reappeared. "This place is looking really good. Jack said it was, but I thought he was overselling it."

"Ha ha." She replied sarcastically. "Thanks, Uncle Max."

With Whitney and Stacey working the bar downstairs, Katy was alone in the upper bar. She was relieved as the number of people in the building steadily grew. Ruby joined her behind the bar, leaning close to shout in her ear that everything seemed to be going exactly as they had hoped. Thanking her for the offer to help out behind the bar, Katy moved to the opposite of the end to take more orders.

"K? Can I slip out for a bit?"

The blonde frowned at Whitney, taking in the worried expression on her face and the way she was clutching her mobile like a lifeline. She sighed and nodded, telling her she'd see her tomorrow and pulling out her own phone to give her Gran a call. Glenda huffed at being asked to cover Whitney's shift, but agreed to get Kathy to babysit.

By one in the morning, when it was time to lock up, there were only a few stranglers hanging around. Katy had let Ruby go home at about midnight, thanking her for everything and promising to work out what she owed her in the morning. Stacey and Glenda looked a little unconvinced when Katy told them that she would lock up and deal with everything in the morning, but headed away, leaving Katy alone to tidy the worst of the mess in the bar.

"Thought you might appreciate some company on the walk home."

Katy sighed. "I don't need you to walk me home, Tyler. I thought you'd gone, anyway."

"I decided to stick around." He told her with a shrug and a grin. "I guessed you might do something stupid like lock up on your own."

Rolling her eyes, she moved behind the bar and poured herself a double vodka. "Drink?"

"Won't say no."

"You can get it yourself." She replied bluntly, knocking back her drink. "I need to lock the takings in the safe."

Tyler chuckled as she opened the till and collected the money. Katy smirked at him, before heading upstairs to empty the other till and lock the money away safely. By the time she returned, Tyler was perching on one of the bar stools and sipping on a whiskey.

"Obviously you went for whiskey over beer because you knew I wasn't going to charge you."

"Obviously." He agreed with a grin.

"How long are you here for?"

Tyler watched as she refilled her glass and moved to rest on her elbows on the bar. "Only 'til tomorrow. I need to get home."

"You got somewhere to stay?"

"Is that an offer?"

Katy looked at him for a moment, considering her next move. Draining her glass, she placed it on the bar before moving towards the door, twirling her keys around her finger. Tyler spun round on the stool, watching her in silence, a smirk twisting his lips.

"Come on, then, before I change my mind."

* * *

Katy yawned and stretched, rolling over and seeing Tyler under the duvet beside her. Slipping out of bed, she pulled on a hoody and some jogging bottoms and made her way into the kitchen. She filled the kettle, setting it to boil before dropping onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar and resting her forehead against her palm tiredly. Her head was pounding and she needed at least one coffee before she could tackle whatever the day would bring.

"Morning."

Glancing up, Katy smiled weakly at Tyler and moved to pour him a mug of coffee as well. "Morning. Sorry if I woke you."

"I should probably get going before the kids get up and the entire Square gets the wrong idea."

She chuckled. "You really think you can leave without being spotted? Nah, no chance."

"So…?"

"We'll just have to front it out, Ty," she told him with a shrug, "tell everyone you crashed on the sofa." Glancing at the time she sighed. "I need to get the kids ready. Can you–?"

"Breakfasts?" He nodded, already moving towards the fridge. "I'm on it."

Pausing in the doorway, Katy glanced back and smiled softly for a moment, remembering how things had once been, before making her way towards the children's bedrooms. As usual, Ruby was already awake, playing quietly so she didn't wake the twins. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head and telling her it was time to get dressed, Katy moved to wake the four-year-olds quickly.

"Can you help them, please, Rubes?" Katy asked, already heading through the door to wake Matthew.

She was still helping her little brother with his socks and shoes when she heard an excited shriek from the kitchen and knew that Ruby had discovered her dad in there. Another soft smile appeared on her face as she heard the twins rushing to see what the matter was, laughing as Matthew grabbed his remaining shoe from her hand and pushed past her.

Leaning in the doorway, Katy watched as Tyler attempted to fend off the children and hand the right bowl of cereal to the right child. It reminded her of how things had been a long time ago; practically since before they'd left Walford. Taking pity on him as he tried to give Matthew Sophie's breakfast, Katy swept in and took over without really thinking about what she was doing. The blonde finished filling the lunchboxes as she listened to the excited chatter going on behind her.

"Dad can take you to school, if he's not too busy, but he's going back to Spain later, so he won't be able to pick you up." She answered Ruby's question before Tyler could think of a way to let her down gently. "He's really busy, you know that, Rubes."

"Do you have to go?"

"Yeah, sorry, sweetheart." Tyler apologised, wrapping his hands round his coffee mug. "Grandad Eddie needs me back today."

Ruby frowned, stabbing her spoon into her cereal irritably. Then she looked between her parents curiously, as though something had just occurred to her. "Did you sleep here last night? Mum said you couldn't?"

"Yeah… she changed her mind and let me sleep on the sofa." Tyler told her with a wink. "She's nice really."

"You taking them to school, then, Ty?" Katy asked, straightening up in her position against the counter and frowning lightly. "They need to leave in about five minutes."

"Uhh, yeah, sure." He grinned. "I'm sure I can still remember the way."

"Good. You need to drop Ruby first and then take Matthew and the twins round to the nursery door."

Tyler chuckled. "I'm sure I can handle it."

Loading the bowls and cups into the dishwasher, Katy nodded quickly, before turning to smile tightly at him. "Well… have a good flight back, say hi to Eddie and the others for me."

Standing on the doorstep, Katy waved as Tyler and the children headed away. She had practically shoved them out of the house and the smile dropped from her face as she headed inside to get dressed and ready to head over to the bar. She was just pulling on a jumper when she heard the flat door open and sighed deeply, guessing that Glenda had questions about the comings and goings that morning.

"Before you start getting any ideas, Tyler slept on the sofa." Katy lied before her grandmother could even open her mouth. "He was at the bar and offered to walk me home after I locked up. I could hardly send him packing after that, could I?"

"And will he be sleeping on the sofa again tonight?" Glenda asked meaningfully.

"No. He's going back to Spain later. He's gone to drop the kids off and then he's going to the airport, I suppose."

"You're OK with that?"

Katy nodded, looking confused by the question. "Of course I am. That's where he lives."

"Katherine, you know what I mean." Glenda sighed deeply.

"I'm messed up and Tyler just keeps trying to fix me. It's never going to work. I'm unfixable. I don't want him around playing the martyr anymore."

Rolling her eyes, Glenda folded her arms and sent the younger blonde a disbelieving look. "Do you realise that I heard your mother saying almost exactly the same about Jack?"

"Yeah, well, look how that turned out."

"Your father lost the love of his life when your mother died."

"Gran… Tyler's leaving. He's got a new life in Spain and I've got my life here. It's just not going to happen, OK?" Katy shook her head tiredly. "Look, if you've got nothing better to do than stand around and lecture me, I could do with a hand over the bar. You know I didn't clear up properly last night and we're opening at eleven." She ran a hand through her hair. "I hope to god the kitchen staff can get to grips with stuff fast because Ruby's put a lunch promotion on to get people in today."

"Calm down, darling." Glenda placed a hand on either side of her face and smiled. "It'll all be fine. I'm yours all day if you need me."

"Thanks, Gran." Katy exhaled slowly. "I know I'm on one at the moment, I just–"

"Don't mention it. What are grandmothers for, eh?"

Thankfully there wasn't as much to clear up as Katy had imagined when they got to the bar. She and Glenda collected the glasses and ran them through the washer while the older woman restocked the fridges and Katy spoke to the kitchen staff about the promotion Ruby had set up. Relief surged through her as they seemed totally unruffled by the thought of it, moving to start prepping as she headed up to the office.

"I'm popping over to the Vic for a bit, if that's OK?" Glenda asked, poking her head around the office door and smiling at her granddaughter. "I'm meeting Kathy for a couple of drinks."

Katy frowned, glancing up from the laptop. "Bit early, ain't it, even for you?

"Cheeky cow." Her grandmother chuckled, before shaking her head. "It's lunchtime, darling. There are already customers downstairs."

Looking at the time, Katy stood up abruptly, shaking her head and wondering how so much time had passed. Squeezing Glenda's arm as the older woman left the bar, Katy smiled around at the people sitting at the tables and booths and went into the kitchen. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, so she left them to it.

"I'm popping over to the caf." She told Emily, one of the new staff members she'd hired. "Any problems, give me a call, alright?"

Instead of going to the café, however, Katy headed into the Vic and scanned the room for her grandmother. Grinning, she made her way over and settled herself beside Glenda, asking whether they minded if she joined them for lunch.

"It's good to see you actually doing something that's not work or child related." Glenda informed her with a nod, pushing her gently so that she could stand up. "I'll get you a drink. A _large_ one."

"I still have to go back to work _and_ pick up the kids later."

Glenda made a sound of derision, showing her what she thought of that idea. "I'll pick up the kids."

"Gran–"

"Oh, she's right, Katy." Kathy agreed, nudging her in the side. "You've been working hard. You need a break every once in a while."

"Following that train of thought," Glenda motioned towards her with her wine glass, "why don't you go and get your hair done. Denise and Kim are doing that trail day thing for Patrick… your roots could do with a touch up."

"Oh, thanks, Gran!"

"Seriously, darling, go and have a bit of 'me time'."

"I suppose my roots _do_ need doing…"

"That's the spirit!" Kathy grinned at her. "Get yourself over to their pop up shop and get them to sort you out."

Rolling her eyes, Katy heaved herself off the bench and headed out of the Vic in the direction of the temporary salon.


	14. Chapter 14

Katy barely glanced up from her phone as she headed through the gardens with the children. She smiled weakly as Ruby tugged on her hand and pointed to the flashy car Keanu was driving round the Square with Louise and Dennis in it. When her daughter asked why Katy didn't have a car to drive them to school in, she simply shrugged and said she had more important things to spend her money on.

"Lauren, babe, can you _please_ give me a call when you get this message? I need to know if you're still on for the holidays?"

Ruby narrowed her eyes and fixed Katy with a look that the blonde knew well. "Aren't we going to visit Aunty Lauren anymore?"

"I dunno, angel." Her mother admitted as they crossed the road. "Aunty Lauren ain't rung me back for weeks. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Will Aunty Whit come too?"

"I dunno, Rubes. Probably not."

"Why?"

"Because she's busy, ain't she? She's got Callum and the Vic and her family to sort out."

"Did you remember my PE kit?"

"I–" Katy furrowed her eyebrows. "PE is on Wednesday."

"April Fools."

"That was terrible." Her mother replied, chuckling anyway.

Once she'd dropped them at Walford Primary, she made her way back to the Square slowly. Ruby and Stacey were due in court and Whit, although she had promised to work that evening, seemed to be in another world. Katy wasn't sure what was going on with her, but Sonia and Jack seemed similarly pre-occupied and she intended to get to the bottom of it.

Knocking firmly on her father's front door, she moved her weight from one foot to the other as she waited for him to answer the door. It felt as though he was being deliberately slow as she waited for what felt like a very long time for the door to finally open. He sighed at the sight of her, shaking his hand and holding up his hands in defeat.

Expecting Jack to make an attempt to blow her off or get rid of her, Katy launched into questioning; demanding that he tell her what was going on before she resorted to interrogating everyone else, including Amy and Ricky.

"Look, I ain't got time to talk right now, OK?" He told her firmly. "I've gotta sort something. I'll talk to you later, I promise."

"You better mean that." She warned him, fed up of being fobbed off.

With his assurances ringing in her ears, the blonde turned and descended the steps, planning on going to the bar and doing her best to get ahead with the books. Paperwork wasn't her forte and there was no way she would ever enjoy doing it. Knowing how effortless her mother had made it all look sent a pang of sadness through her, but she dismissed it and forced herself to smile warmly at some of the market traders she passed on her way.

It wasn't until the next day that she finally managed to get hold of her father and make him tell her what was going on. She had been swept up the day before, with Ruby and Stacey at the courthouse for the foreseeable future and Whitney still on another planet. Katy had stepped in and was taking a lot more of the strain at the bar, even though Glenda had told her that she would pitch in where she could.

The final straw came when the delivery that she had been expecting had been well and truly messed up. Half of what she'd ordered was missing and the other half was completely wrong. Putting her head in her hands, Katy felt like crying. Instead, she gathered herself, inhaling deeply and put together a very strongly worded email. She knew that if she phoned the company and spoke to them she would probably let her mouth run away with her.

"You alright?"

Katy shot a glance towards the door, smiling weakly at the sight of her best friend leaning against the frame. "I'm up to my ears here and I need to go and get the kids. I just don't understand why they mess up on every single order. I swear to god that next time I'm just gonna cancel our account."

"I'll collect the kids if you want?" Whitney offered.

"You sure?"

"Course."

"You're a lifesaver, babe, thank you."

"What are mates for, eh?" The brunette smiled. "Besides, I'm dead grateful for you being really flexible with my shifts."

"I know you wouldn't ask if it weren't important." Katy reminded her.

"I appreciate it anyway, though."

"Don't get all soppy, Whit. Just go and get my kids, eh?"

Whitney laughed, nodding and turning to leave. She looked back, hesitating for a moment and staring at the top of Katy's bowed head as though she wanted to say something. Then she changed her mind and hurried away.

Burying herself in the information in front of her, the blonde lost track of time. She was startled, physically jumping in her seat when her mobile vibrated loudly against the surface of her desk.

'_**Kids want to go to the park. I'll bring them back in a bit. X'**_

Reading the text from Whitney, Katy smiled and glanced at the time, deciding that she had the perfect opportunity to go and demand answers from her father before getting home to make the kids' tea. Just as she was gathering her things and intending to head over to his house, there was a soft knock on her office door.

"Can I come in?" Jack asked quietly, stepping forward as she ushered him into the room. He sighed again as Katy moved towards him and closed the door, motioning towards the sofa opposite her desk. "Look, Tiff's… she ain't too great."

"Eh? What's happened?" Suddenly Katy was worried, wondering what her cousin could have got involved in. "She alright?"

"To be honest, I think you might be the best person to talk to her right now."

"Dad, you're worrying me."

He gave her a brief explanation of what Tiffany had been up to over the past few months. Katy's eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper as she spoke, until she finally held up a hand and asked just how bad the situation was where Tiffany was concerned. Jack sighed again.

"Dad, just tell me." She pressed in a low voice. "Was she raped?"

He rubbed his forehead agitatedly. "I don't think she saw it like that at the time."

"But?"

"Yeah, I think she was." He told her sadly. "She doesn't want to talk about it or tell anyone else, though. I dunno how to handle this."

Katy smiled softly and nodded. "Leave it to me. Can you–?"

"I'll take the kids out for a burger."

"Thanks, Dad."

Her plan was foiled, however, as Sonia informed her that Tiffany was round at Bernadette's and, when she went there, her cousin resolutely refused to acknowledge that anything was wrong. Bernadette simply shrugged and smiled, offering for Katy to join them in watching _Queer Eye_. Politely declining, she headed thoughtfully in the direction of the R&R once more.

* * *

"Katy!"

Turning, the young woman's mouth dropped open as she spotted Lola and a small, blonde girl heading towards her. She recognised Lexi from the photos she'd been sent instantly, squealing excitedly and pulling them both into a hug.

"Lo? What are you doing here? Why didn't you say you were coming?"

"Aunty Katy! Where's Ruby?"

"She's having tea with my dad at the moment, lovely." Katy told the little girl with a warm smile. "But you can come round and play after school tomorrow, if it's OK with your mummy."

Lexi turned her eyes on her mother. "Please?"

"Course. It'll give me and Aunty Katy a chance to have a proper catch up." Lola agreed easily. "You can fill me in on Honey's new bloke." As the older woman pulled a face, she grinned. "You not a fan either, then?"

Katy shrugged. "It ain't that I'm not a fan, I just… he ain't like us, is he? He's all… stuck up and that. Did you know he calls Honey 'Susan'. It's like he thinks he's so much better than us. I was looking after Will and Janet the other week and he scolded me, as if I was a child, when I dropped them home because I let them have 'too much sugar'. What a bloody liberty, like."

"I might have tipped his dinner on him when I was collecting the plates." Lola admitted, not looking remotely guilty about it. "He was being a dick about the kids having chocolate roll and squirty cream for pudding and I just… I got fed up of it. Besides, he was making Pops feel bad."

"Yeah… I feel bad for Billy, too." Katy admitted with a small shrug. "I mean, I know he cheated on her with Tina, but–"

"With _Tina_?"

"Yeah… didn't you know?"

"I knew he'd cheated on her. I didn't know who with, though."

"Yeah, well, I know he shouldn't have done that, but him and Honey were like… solid, you know? They were perfect for each other."

"She must still have feelings for him, or they wouldn't still be living together, would they?"

Katy shrugged, slightly unconvinced. "I dunno, Lo. But I don't think Adam is right for Honey, anyway." She sighed, smiling down at the little girl. "So, you back for good?"

"Not sure yet." Lola shrugged, suddenly looking a little uneasy. "Look, I better get her home. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

Watching as they headed in the direction of the Beales' house, the older Mitchell chewed her lip thoughtfully. She wondered what her cousin was doing back in the Square, a little confused as the last time she had spoken to Lola she had been adamant that she wasn't planning on coming back to Walford any time soon. Something must have happened, she realised with a frown, to change her mind.

The overwhelming, suspicious part of her mind was instantly on full alert and she wondered whether there was something deeper going on with the Mitchells that she should be wary of. Briefly considering phoning Jay to ask whether he'd seen Lola or knew what was going on, the blonde hastily painted a smile on her face as she spotted her father, siblings and daughters heading towards her.

* * *

"Gran? You alright to watch the kids for a bit?" Katy called down the stairs. There was a scuffling sound and then her grandmother's flat door opened. "Lou's called to ask if I fancy a drink over the Vic."

"It's your first night off since the bar opened and you're spending it in the Vic?" Glenda arched an eyebrow at her.

"It's that or here with you, a rom-com and a bottle of wine."

The older blonde nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. I'll be right up."

Smiling, Katy ducked back into the flat and stepped into her shoes. She was shrugging on her jacket and flicking her hair out of the collar when her grandmother appeared in the doorway, pressing a kiss to her cheek and disappearing almost immediately as though she thought Glenda might change her mind about babysitting.

Pushing through the Vic doors, she looked around for her cousin and spotted her at a table with the Taylors. As she started towards them, her attention was caught by a loud voice from the other end of the bar. Her eyes fell on Mel, shouting the odds and insulting everyone in the vicinity.

"Hunter's a psychopath and we all know it." Keegan shouted, standing and glaring at the woman. "And so do you."

"At least he's not a coward, running away and leaving his best mate to bleed out in a gutter."

"What did you just say?"

Chaos broke out as Karen leapt to her son's defence, surging forward and only just being restrained by Keanu. Katy glanced between Jack and Louise, both of them glaring at Mel as the shouting continued, wondering what exactly had happened.

"I ain't worth it?" Mel asked, staring around. "Look at you all! You've all got secrets… you've all got blood on your hands. What my son did, he did for me… to protect his family. He owns it and he is going to do time like a man. And he makes me proud… he makes me proud."

The chattering resumed as Mel stormed out of the pub. Arching an eyebrow at her teenage cousin, Katy dropped onto the bench beside her and nudged her gently in the ribs, motioning towards the door that was still swinging gently on its hinges, silently asking the question that was on her mind.

"Hunter pleaded guilty."

"Well shit." Katy nodded slowly. "Good for him."

"You what?" Louise frowned at her.

"He's a better person than me. You wouldn't ever catch me doing that."

"Katy, a word." Jack nodded his head to a quiet corner.

Sighing deeply, she followed him around the bar and folded her arms, waiting to hear what he had to say. "What? You want me to lay off?"

"No, I want you to keep your mouth shut." He told her in a low voice. "You can't go round saying stuff like that without people asking questions."

She rolled her eyes. "Dad, I ain't gonna tell anyone anything that would get me into trouble, am I? Besides, no one round here would remember Carl or Nathan. It's fine."

"Katy…"

"Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut. But you need to stay away from her, Dad." He huffed, irritated at being told what to do by his daughter. "I mean it, don't go there. Her and her son are bad news."


	15. Chapter 15

"Katy… I need your help."

The young woman arched an eyebrow at her visitor, leaning back in her seat. She let her gaze sweep over Tiffany for a long minute, before realising that the fear in her eyes appeared to be real. Quickly, she leant forward again and rested her eyebrows on the surface of her desk, eyebrows furrowing as she tried to gage the severity of the situation.

"What's happened?"

"I told Sharon that Dennis was working for drug dealers. She punched Stix in the face in front of his crew."

"And…?"

"He said she'd made a big mistake. I'm worried he's gonna do something."

Katy shook her head. "I won't let him do anything to you, alright?"

"I'm not worried about me."

Her cousin sighed deeply. "Sharon's a big girl. She can handle herself, like you saw."

"Yeah, but–"

"Tiff, seriously, she'll be fine. She's got Phil, anyway, ain't she? Besides, I don't reckon Sharon would be too thrilled if I started sticking my nose into her business."

"Alright, alright." The redhead held up her hands and dropped onto the sofa on the opposite side of the office. When Katy arched an eyebrow at her, she shrugged. "What?"

"What are you doing? I've got things to do."

"Bernie's busy with stuff and I'm bored. Can I hang out here for a bit?"

"No."

"Please, Katy."

With a theatrical sigh, the blonde rolled her eyes. "Fine, but keep your gob shut, alright?"

The silence lasted for all of three minutes, before Tiffany was talking again. Giving up on getting anything done, her older cousin leant back in her chair again and watched her thoughtfully as she chattered on about nonsense.

She'd finally got Tiffany to talk to her a couple of days before, the teenager admitting what she'd been through and how she felt. Katy knew that she couldn't begin to understand Tiffany's situation, but she had some idea of how she would be feeling now. Promising that she wouldn't push, but that she'd be there if the younger girl decided that she needed or wanted to talk about it, Katy had let it go. Jack hadn't been thrilled with that, but she assured him that it was the best way to ensure that Tiffany trusted her.

"Yeah, well I'm doing my very best to _avoid_ Ben." Katy cut in as Tiffany pointed out that she'd caught the blonde almost ducking out of sight when she'd spotted the young man earlier that day. "If you hadn't noticed we're not exactly best buddies."

"What did he do to piss you off so spectacularly?"

"You don't wanna know." The older woman muttered, shaking her head. "All you need to know is that I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him."

With Tiffany looking at her strangely, Katy suggested that they headed out to grab a coffee from the bar. As they left the room, the blonde cast a look over at the framed photo of Ronnie and Roxy on the wall. The corner of her lips quirked up in a fond smile as they grinned back down at her and she pulled the office door firmly shut behind her.

* * *

"Yeah, I'll pick them up." Katy sighed, jamming her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she flicked through some paperwork on her desk. "Yes, Gran, it's fine. Have a good time."

Glancing at the time, the young woman rolled her eyes as she realised that Glenda had left it until the last minute to tell her that she and Kathy had been caught up down the High Street and wouldn't be able to get back in time to do the school run. She sighed and grabbed her jacket, rushing out of the office and pulling the door shut behind her with a loud bang.

Waving a hand at the two young men setting up behind the bar, Katy rushed towards the Square, intending to ask her father whether he wanted her to pick up Amy and Ricky at the same time. Glancing up from her bag, rummaging for her keys, she was in time to see Mel descending the steps and turning abruptly to avoid having to speak to the younger blonde.

"What the hell was she doing here?" Katy demanded, pushing her way into the house and not even bothering to find her father before shouting.

"Don't start." He ordered, appearing from the living room. "I've told her she needs to get out of the house and she was coming to ask me to reconsider."

"Dad… you can't!"

"Keep your nose out, Katy, yeah?"

"Yeah, whatever." She shrugged. "Want me to collect the kids for you?"

"That would be great, thanks, darlin'."

"Whatever." She repeated turning on her heels and letting herself out of the house.

All the way to Walford Primary she stewed over what she'd heard from her father. She was glad that he was finally kicking Mel out, but something about the way he'd told her, the way she'd gone over to try and change his mind, was ringing alarm bells in her mind. She didn't have time for Jack's dramas on top of everything else she had to think about, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to stop herself getting sucked in.

"Mum!"

Katy forced herself to smile as Ruby raced across the playground towards her, Ricky on her heels. "Hey, guys. Good day?"

"Can we go to Tilly and Nathan's for a play date on Monday?" Ruby asked, rather than answering her question.

"Uhhh? Have you actually been invited?" Her mother checked, looking between them.

"Tilly asked Amy."

"That doesn't really answer my question, does it?" Katy pointed out. She smiled as she spotted her sister sauntering up the playground towards them, dropping a kiss to the top of her head as Amy wrapped her arms around her for a hug. "Hey, angel."

"Katy, on Monday can we –?"

The young woman sighed deeply. "Is Tilly and Nathan's mum here?"

Following the three pointing fingers, Katy smiled weakly at the older woman who was apparently being pestered by her own children. Ten minutes later everything was arranged and Katy said goodbye to the other woman and headed towards the nursery to collect Matthew and the twins.

They were all suffering from the usual end of term bad temper, so Katy did her best to keep them all calm until bedtime. Jack came over to collect Ricky and Amy, smiling gratefully as his elder daughter told him about the play date she'd arranged for the first proper day of the holidays.

"Look, about earlier…"

"Don't worry about it." Katy told him in a flat tone, leaning in the doorway and keeping one eye on Amy and Ricky on the pavement outside the gate. "I won't get involved, alright. You do what you want."

"I keep telling you there's nothing going on."

"Yeah, OK. If you say so. I just don't want her making a mug of you, right?"

"I ain't gonna let her."

"Good."

He nodded once before leaning in to kiss her cheek and then turning away to take the children home. Katy leant in the doorway for a couple more minutes before going inside. She finished putting Matthew and the twins to bed before Glenda appeared, apologising profusely for leaving her in the lurch earlier.

"It's fine." Katy told her with a sigh. "I could do with an early night, anyway. I'm absolutely shattered."

"I'm not surprised, darling, with everything you're trying to do."

"Don't start, Gran."

"I'm not starting anything."

"OK, OK. I'm not in the mood to argue with you tonight."

"I spotted Lola and Jay going into the Vic on my way home." Glenda told her, moving through the flat and into the kitchen. She paused to press a kiss to the top of Ruby's head as she passed. "Why don't you go and have a couple of drinks. I'm sure you'd like to catch up with them and Whitney, too."

"Like I don't see enough of Whitney?"

Glenda laughed. "It'll still do you good to go out and _not_ be working."

"Gran, I just–"

"Need to realise that you've done well." Glenda cupped her cheeks and smiled softly. "I'm _so_ proud of you. Your mum and Roxanne would be too. But you're still so young and you've taken on so much." She stepped back and leant against the island. "Just go and have one night of fun with your friends."

Agreeing that perhaps Glenda might be right, her granddaughter nodded and thanked her, before slipping into her room to change and reapply her make up. She told Ruby to behave, before saying goodnight and leaving the flat.

As soon as she entered the pub and received a bright smile from her best friend, Katy felt some of the tension lifting from her shoulders. She smiled and wrapped an arm around Lola's shoulder, grinning at Jay and joining them at the bar. Callum walked over to greet her, sliding her a drink without her even asking.

They chatted about nothing in particular, Lola telling them all about Lexi and asking about Katy's children. Whitney looked longingly as they spoke, earning herself a soft smile from her best friend. Then Katy launched into several long, incredibly detailed stories about all the times she'd wished she didn't have children because they'd driven her crazy or totally embarrassed her.

"The gang is all here!"

Katy clenched her jaw at the voice of the young man she had been doing her level best to avoid. "Shit."

"What's everyone having? Same again, Jay?"

"Yeah, go on then, mate, yeah." He nodded, grinning at his adoptive brother who had just appeared in their midst.

"Ben Mitchell." He introduced himself, holding his hand out in Callum's direction.

"Callum Highway."

"Blimey, Whit." Ben sent her a snide look. "I can hardly keep up with you and all your men. Two pints of lager when you're ready, mate." As Whitney and Katy exchanged a look, Callum evidently less than happy about the comment, he turned to Jay and Lola. "So, you two been here long? Katy, long time no see."

"Yeah…"

"What's with the hair? In honour of your dead mum, is it?"

"Fuck off, Ben." Katy snapped, grabbing her stuff and sliding off the bar stool. "Catch you later, guys."

No one attempted to stop her and she headed home, all of the tension that had evaporated during her conversation with her friends returning tenfold as she stepped out into the Square. Cursing Ben and his reappearance she stamped back to Number 43, only just remembering that the children would be asleep before the door slammed shut behind her.

She only had time to growl out her cousin's name, before she closed her bedroom door and prevented her grandmother from asking any more questions about her foul mood.

The weekend passed quickly. Katy did her best to sort things so that she could take as much time off over the holidays as possible. She also did her best to keep herself and her children as far away from Ben as was physically possibly.

On Sunday afternoon, they accidentally bumped into him with Lexi at the park. Katy smiled tightly as Ruby asked if they could go and play with their cousin, all five children running off as soon as she nodded and leaving her alone with Ben.

He sidled up beside her, arms folded across his chest, shooting her a sly grin. "I hear Tyler ran off to Spain."

"You heard wrong." She snapped. "He didn't _run_ anywhere. It was a mutual decision that we were coming back home and he was going to join his dad and brothers in Spain. They had a business to run and I had a business to build."

"So… what I'm hearing is that you're alone. Again."

"You know what, Ben, fuck you." Katy hissed, turning and glaring at him. "Who have you got, eh? I dunno what weird shit is going on with you and Lola, but keep me and my kids out of it."

With that, she called Ruby, Mathew and the twins over and smiled warmly at Lexi, telling her to ask her mum whether she was allowed to come round and play one day. Shooting Ben a final scowl, she herded her children in the direction of home and refused to answer any of their questions about why they'd had to leave the park.

Sleep was evaded her that night, almost until it was time to wake up, while she tried to work out what was bothering her about Ben's return to the Square. Something wasn't right between him and Lola; her younger cousin's body language screaming out warnings whenever the young man was around or even mentioned.

"You coming to Ben's brunch thing?"

Katy jumped as Jay called across to her the next morning as she made her way in the direction of Jack's house. She was tugging Ruby by the hand, not really listening to her daughter chattering on as she speculated about what they might get up to that day.

"Not a chance." Katy replied, arching an eyebrow at him. "Not if you paid me."

"Come on, K…" Jay sighed, shaking his head. "I need you there."

"No, you don't." She retorted. Then she shrugged. "Besides, I've got the kids to deal with; all completely hyped up because it's the first day of the holidays."

"You're taking some time off work then, are you?"

"Hopefully. Can we talk later, Jay? I'm just popping over to Dad's. The kids have got a play date."

"At your dad's?" Jay asked, looking confused.

"No… Ruby, Amy and Ricky have a play date at their friend's house."

"Oh, right…"

"Look, I'll try and catch you later, yeah?"

When Jay nodded, Katy shot him a small smile and carried on across the Square. Ruby looked up at her thoughtfully, scrunching up her nose, but her mother shrugged and let them into the house. When Rainie offered to take Ruby with Amy and Ricky, Katy nodded gratefully and started towards the door.

She stopped abruptly as her father appeared in the doorway with Mel in tow. Arching an eyebrow at them, Katy glanced over her shoulder at the older woman who was staring past her at the newcomers.

"Vandals attacked the house. They put a brick through her window." Jack tried to explain, nodding his head towards Mel.

"Just the one?"

Katy snorted at Rainie's words, before catching sight of the expression on her father's face and standing abruptly. "I'd better get going. Thanks for watching the kids, Rainie."

"Not a problem."

"Can I have a word?" Jack motioned towards the kitchen, grasping his daughter by the elbow and propelling her out of the room. "Do you know anything about this?"

"What? The brick?" She scowled. "Of course I don't and, frankly, I'm a little offended that you think I would."


	16. Chapter 16

"Granny, is Uncle Danny coming to visit for your birthday?"

Glenda shushed the seven-year-old hastily, making sure the others were engrossed in their television programme. "Remember what I said, darling? Mummy and Uncle Danny don't really get on, so its best if we keep that between us, alright?"

"I don't get why they don't like each other, though." Ruby said with a slight frown. "Uncle Danny's really funny and so is Mummy."

"Well…" Glenda considered her answer for a moment, before sighing and reaching out to stroke her great-granddaughter's hair. "Uncle Danny wasn't very nice to your Mummy when she was younger. He didn't really mean it, but she hasn't forgiven him. Every time they see each other they just remember how things were back then and it makes them cross with each other."

"But it was ages ago, wasn't it?"

"Mmm… almost ten years now."

"So why can't they say sorry and be friends, like me and Lucy Burrows did when she tried to push me over at school?"

Glenda smiled softly. "Because things aren't quite that simple when you're an adult."

"I thought they were friends after Uncle Danny came to your last birthday."

For Glenda's sake, Katy and Danny had started the visit being civil to each other. Sadly, though, it hadn't lasted much longer than the birthday meal. Before they'd even reached dessert, Danny hadn't been able to stop himself making snide comments about Tyler and Katy had flown off the handle and ordered him to leave. When Glenda, powerless to do much about it, hadn't intervened, her son had stormed out and refused to go back.

"Not really, darling." Glenda sighed again, remembering their last meeting. "But that doesn't mean Uncle Danny doesn't love you, though."

Ruby nodded sagely. "I know. Lots of people love me and not each other. Like Mum and Dad." She scrunched up her nose. "So, is Uncle Danny coming?"

"I don't think so, darling." Her great-grandmother said with a sigh. "But that's OK, because I'll have you lot around."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Can I go and see Mum?"

"She's working, darling. You'll see her in about fifteen minutes at the restaurant."

"But I need to see her _now_, Granny." Ruby told her. "It's… it's about your birthday present."

Glenda hesitated, glancing at the others. "OK, I'll take you over there, but we've gotta be quick, right?"

* * *

"Long time, no see." Katy looked up at the voice, which was familiar, but that she couldn't quite place. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of the young man in the doorway. He grinned and motioned over his shoulder. "The guy downstairs said I should come up and see you."

"Dean? What…?"

He grinned even more broadly, leaning casually against the doorframe. "I've been in Australia for a while, but now I'm back I thought I should come and meet my niece."

Katy's heart stopped for a moment, before beating unnaturally fast. "Your what?"

"Nathan told me about Ruby when she was born. I thought it was time I came to meet her."

"Ruby's not… Ruby's _not_ Nathan's daughter, Dean." She told him slowly. "I'm not sure what he's told you, or why, but Ruby's dad is my ex, Tyler."

With a frown, the young man walked closer, glancing sideways before dropping onto the sofa. "Why would he say he was?"

"I dunno… why don't you ask him?"

"I can't get hold of him." Dean told her. "Haven't been able to for a couple of years."

"That's… weird."

"Yeah…"

"I know he was into some dodgy stuff. The last time I saw him he was in trouble with some dangerous people."

"When was that?"

Katy shrugged. "Ages ago, now. Just after Ruby was born."

Dean watched her for a moment, narrowing his eyes. "Just _after_ she was born?"

"Yeah."

"Why would he come here after she was born if she's not his?"

"Who says he came here?" Katy pointed out, arching an eyebrow. "He wanted to see me, so I met him. I told him that he wasn't her father, he believed me. That's the last I saw of him."

"Right… so he thought she was his but, just because you said she's not, he changed his mind?"

Katy shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "Don't ask me to understand the way your brother's mind works, Dean. Besides, it's been seven years and I haven't heard anything from or about him."

"Something ain't right, here." Dean said, shaking his head. He stood and walked slowly towards the desk. "I don't believe he'd just–"

"Believe what you want, Dean." Katy snapped. She exhaled sharply, not letting him see that she was rattled. "Nathan has nothing to do with my daughter. I told him that and I haven't seen him since. I don't know what you want me to say."

A tense silence fell between them. Katy was well aware that Dean was sure she was lying, but she stared him down, refusing to change her story. There was no way that she was going to tell him the truth about his brother's disappearance and she was sure that he wouldn't find out from anyone else.

"Katy? Glenda wanted me to remind you that we're meeting at Walford East at six." Jack said, walking into the office without even looking up from his phone.

"I haven't forgotten." She assured him with a tight smile. "I'll be there."

"You better be because you know it'll be my fault if you're even a second late." As his daughter chuckled softly, he noticed the young man standing on the other side of the room and narrowed his eyes slightly. The slightly aggressive stance the man had taken and the chilly atmosphere in the office, told him that something was wrong. "Who's this?"

"This is Dean Parry, Dad." Katy told him, standing up and moving around the desk. She leant against it and folded her arms across her chest. "Apparently Nathan told him he's Ruby's uncle."

Jack scowled at him. "Well he ain't, is he?"

"I've told him that."

"My brother wouldn't lie about it." Dean shot back angrily.

"Yeah?" Jack snarled at him. "He lied about pretty much everything else. Why would this be any different?"

"He told me she was his kid and Katy must be lying about it."

"Katy's ex, Tyler, is Ruby's dad." Jack took a step towards him threateningly. "We got a DNA test and showed it to your brother. He accepted it and left. He knew better than to step foot in Walford again."

"Yeah, why's that, then?" Dean challenged. "My brother wouldn't be scared of you, old man."

Jack laughed sarcastically, rubbing his jaw. "If he was smart, he would. Besides, he ain't here, is he? He ain't come back, so I think you better take a leaf out of his book and do one, yeah?"

Looking between Katy and her father, Dean shook his head and scowled, but evidently thought better of arguing. He slammed his way out of the office and Jack followed, watching until he was safely out of the R&R. Then he returned and pulled his daughter into a tight hug.

"You alright?"

"Fine." She exhaled sharply. "I never considered that Dean might…"

"Hold your nerve, alright?" Jack ordered her. "He ain't gonna find anything out. If he comes back, we'll deal with him."

Katy arched an eyebrow. "How? How are we gonna deal with him? The same way I dealt with Nathan?"

Jack didn't answer. Instead he pulled her into another tight hug and rested his chin on the top of her head, thinking carefully.

After a few minutes, Katy pulled away and walked back to sit in her desk chair again. She smiled weakly at Jack and told him that she was fine, but needed to get on with the accounts. He watched her for a moment, but when she refused to meet his eyes again, he gave up and left the office with a deep sigh.

As soon as he was gone, Katy leant back in her chair and chewed her lip thoughtfully. She knew that Dean would be back; there was no way this was going to be the end of it. He wouldn't give up until he found out the truth and there was no way that Katy was going to let that happen.

There was only one thing for it.

Standing up, Katy grabbed her jacket. She guessed that Dean wouldn't have made it very far – most likely to the Vic or the caf.

Katy was half way to the door when she heard her daughter's voice out in the upper bar. "I'm Ruby Mitchell, who the bloody hell are you?"

Feeling as though her heart had stopped as she considered who her daughter could be speaking to, the blonde yanked open the office door and rushed out into the main room. As she realised that Ruby was staring challengingly at Leon, one of her barmen, Katy felt herself relaxing. Without the threat of Dean looming over her, she found herself almost unable to stifle the laughter that Ruby's words had inspired.

Getting herself under control, she fixed the little girl with a stern look. "Ruby Mitchell, _manners_."

Pulling a face, Ruby reluctantly apologised before sloping into the office. Sending the young man, who looked completely bemused by the situation, an apologetic look, Katy shut the door behind her.

"Ruby! What have I told you? You cannot just–"

"Granny brought me over." Ruby promised, bouncing on the sofa. "She waited until I was inside before she went."

"Fine, fine!" Katy held up her hands in defeat.

She motioned towards the door and reached out to hold Ruby's hand. The little girl skipped along with her as Katy moved to the bar, tugging her daughter to stand beside the fridges. She passed her a glass of coke and poured herself a vodka.

"Why've you decided to honour me with your presence?"

"Granny was being annoying."

"It's Granny's birthday." Her mother pointed out with a chuckle. "I think it's the one day of the year she's allowed to be annoying, babe."

"I told her I needed to talk to you about her birthday present. That's why she brought me over."

Katy laughed again. "You're terrible!"

"I learnt from the best."

"Who told you that?" Her mother asked, shaking her head in amusement.

"I heard Granny saying it when Dad said I was a cheeky little sod. He said that you're a cheeky sod and I'd learnt from the best."

"Well, he's not _wrong_." Placing her glass under the bar, Katy glanced at the time. "Come on, babe, we're gonna be late if we hang around here much longer and _then_ Granny will have something to say."

Waiting for her mother to get her things from the office, Ruby climbed up into the DJ booth and started pushing buttons. Katy rolled her eyes and held out a hand, telling Leon that they'd need to check the sound levels before they opened that evening. He nodded and told her to go and enjoy herself; that everything was under control.

As Katy had suspected, they were the last to arrive. Jack shot her a look as he stood to press a kiss to her cheek. Biting her lip to stop herself laughing as she greeted her grandmother. Katy settled herself on the opposite side of the table to her father, smiling around at her family.

"Happy birthday, Gran." She toasted once their food had arrived. "I know we don't always show it, but we all really appreciate everything you do for us – don't we, Dad?"

Jack nodded grudgingly. "Yeah, we do. Thanks for helping out with the kids, Glenda."

"So… for your birthday…" Katy looking meaningfully at Amy and Ricky, who both dived under the table before emerging with a large, homemade card and a bottle bag. "We wanted to get you something a little special."

"Oh, my darlings!" Glenda clasped a hand to her chest as she looked round at them. "Thank you."

"You might wanna open it first." Jack suggested with a grin.

Rolling her eyes at him, his mother-in-law didn't need telling twice. She looked at the bottle of wine, impressed by the vintage, before realising that there was an envelope tucked inside the bag. She opened it curiously, before beaming at her granddaughter, guessing that she had been behind it.

"A spa day?"

"Yeah, we thought you could take Kathy?"

"Or I could take you, my darling? You deserve a bit of pampering and it wouldn't do Jack any harm to return the babysitting duties for a day."

Katy laughed, raising her glass to her lips in order to prevent herself flatly refusing the offer. It didn't make it halfway before she slammed it back down on the table when her eyes fell on a young man making his way towards their table. Dean's eyes were darting between Amy and Ruby, clearly wondering which one of them was the girl he'd come looking for. Kicking Jack under the table, Katy nodded her head towards the new arrival.

"This is nice."

"What are you doing here?" Jack demanded, standing up with a scrape of his chair. "We've said all we're gonna say."

"Dad? Who's that?" Amy piped up, looking at the stranger curiously.

"Shh, Amy." Glenda flapped a hand in her direction, although she was evidently just as intrigued.

"Ruby?" He focused on the younger of the two girls. "I'm your uncle, your dad's brother."

There was a stunned silence. Then Ruby frowned. "You ain't Uncle Craig or Uncle Anthony… and Uncle Michael's dead."

"He ain't your uncle, Ruby." Katy told her in a hard tone. "He's someone I knew a long time ago, but he ain't _anything_ to do with you."

Dean chuckled. "Yeah?"

Not answering him, Jack shoved the young man backwards roughly until they had disappeared out of the restaurant. Katy ordered the children to listen to Glenda, before rushing out after them. In the street, Jack was squaring up to the younger man, jabbing his finger angrily into his chest.

"We already told you that Ruby is nothing to do with Nathan." Katy snapped as she joined them. "We also told you that we ain't seen him in years."

"I know you, Katy Mitchell. I know when you're lying."

She laughed. "You don't know me half as well as you think you do, then, because I ain't lying. I ain't seen him since Ruby was a baby."

"You better get out of here." Jack threatened, stepping forward and narrowing his eyes. "I'm warning you now. If you come near my family again, you'll be sorry."

Dean looked at them for a moment, before snorting derisively and turning away. He pushed his hands into his pockets and sauntered away nonchalantly. He looked over his shoulder as he reached the corner, grinning at them challengingly before continuing towards the tube station.

Katy shot her father a look, shaking her head at him. "We need to sort that before he becomes a problem."

"What? Like you sorted his brother?"

"I did what I had to do." His daughter snapped back. "I'd do it again. I _will_ do it again, if I have to."

Leaving her father staring after her, Katy wrapped her arms around herself and stamped back towards the restaurant. Before she had managed to take half a dozen steps, Jack grabbed her arm and yanked her backwards, turning her to look at him.

"You're gonna end up behind bars if you keep on like this."

"I ain't letting a Parry anywhere near my daughter." Katy spat back, her eyes flashing dangerously.

He shook his head, letting go of her arm and pointing towards the building they'd not long left. "Them kids need you, Katy. You need to think about what's best for them."

"Getting him away from Ruby _is_ what's best for them." She reminded him. With a sigh, she shook her head. "If you won't do anything about it, I will."

That time when Katy stalked away, Jack let her go. He watched as she went into the restaurant letting the door bang closed behind her.


	17. Chapter 17

"Mum!" Katy glanced up from buttering bread and smiled absently at her eldest daughter. Ruby was clearly excited about something or other, but the cause of her good mood wasn't immediately obvious. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"No! You have to guess!"

Katy sighed, wrinkling her nose as she thought. "Granny Glenda's taking you out for tea?"

"Nope."

"Umm… Grandad's taking you out somewhere?"

"Nope."

"Something to do with Aunty Whit?"

"Nope."

With another sigh, her mother shrugged. "Go on, then, I'll never get it."

"Daddy's getting married!"

Katy dropped the knife in her hand. "He… what?"

"Yeah!" Ruby beamed at her. "He just told me. I called him and he told me. He said I can be a bridesmaid."

"Right…" Her mother felt slightly sick. She'd known nothing good would come out of Jack buying her daughter a mobile. "When…"

"I don't know yet. He just said that him and Pippa are getting married." She twirled around excitedly. "Can I tell Amy?"

"Yeah… why not."

Turning away, she moodily picked up the knife and stabbed it into butter, her good mood totally evaporating. Changing her mind about spending the afternoon at home with the children, she called to Glenda that she needed to pop to the bar and headed irritably towards the R&R.

Shutting herself in the office with the paperwork wasn't entirely the best idea for attempting to cheer herself up, but at least it distracted her for a while.

When her phone started ringing, Katy clenched her jaw and considered ignoring it. The name on the display made her feel sick, but she answered the call and clamped the phone between her ear and her shoulder anyway.

"I suppose congratulations are in order." She said in a flat voice.

"Oh… Ruby told you."

Katy rolled her eyes at Tyler's comment. "Of course Ruby told me. You can't tell a seven-year-old something like that and expect her to keep it to herself, especially if you tell her she can be a bridesmaid."

"I'm sorry, K. I wanted to tell you myself."

"That's so good of you."

"Katy, please. Come on…" He almost whined.

"Come on?" She laughed mirthlessly. "What do you expect me to say, Tyler? You're getting married to the woman you left me for and what do you honestly expect me to say? D'you want me to say I'm happy for you?"

"No, of course I don't." Tyler assured her immediately. "I know it's… I should have told you. I just… it happened so fast."

"Right…" There was a long pause. "Are you happy?"

"I… yeah. Yeah, course I am."

"Well that's… good." Katy bit her lip, hard. "Are you serious about this? I mean, you barely know her, Ty. Are you sure this is what you want to do? It seems a bit... hasty."

"Just because you didn't want to marry me, it doesn't mean that no one else does."

"So you proposed to someone you've known for five minutes just to prove a point?" Katy laughed mirthlessly. "Jesus Christ, Tyler."

"I can't talk to you when you're like this." He muttered irritably. "I'll call you in a couple of days so we can talk about the kids coming out here."

There was another long pause before they both spoke at once. Laughing uneasily, Katy closed her eyes tightly.

"I better go. I've got stuff to… good luck, Tyler."

She hung up quickly, before he could answer. She dropped the phone on the surface of her desk as though it had burnt her, staring at it for a couple of moments before crossing to the box of extra stuff in the corner of the room and ripping the cardboard open.

As she pulled a bottle of vodka out, her eyes landed on the photograph of Ronnie and Roxy on the wall and she let out a soft sob. Then she unscrewed the cap and took a long gulp, closing her eyes as the liquid burnt its way down her throat.

By the time Glenda appeared in the office, having her the news from her great-granddaughter, Katy was slumped against the wall cradling the three-quarters empty bottle to her chest and sobbing quietly.

Gathering her in her arms, the older woman rocked her gently, running a hand through her hair and carefully extricating the bottle from her grip. She held her tightly, whispering soothingly into her hair and pressing their foreheads together.

"Come on, my darling, let's get you home. Mama Mia, coffee and an early night will sort you out." She murmured, helping her granddaughter to her feet. "It'll all be alright, I promise."

* * *

"We need to get rid of him, Dad." Katy told Jack firmly, two days later, folding her arms and perching on the edge of her desk. "While Dean's out there, I can't relax. How am I supposed to trust that he's just going to leave us alone?" She rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Look, can we do this another time? I've got a headache and a delivery in about ten minutes."

"This is just a reaction to Tyler's news." Jack tried to placate her. "You need to forget about Dean Parry."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"He won't find nothing on you, will he?" Her father said in a low voice. "There ain't nothing to link you to… it's been years since Nathan was–"

"Dad, I don't care about that. I don't want Dean anywhere _near_ me or my kids."

Jack shook his head. "And he ain't, is he? He's gone."

"For now."

"So what're you suggesting?"

"I dunno yet… I'm working on it." She told him quietly, gripping the edge of the desk more tightly.

"You really need to think about this, Katy." Jack cautioned her. He turned and headed for the door. "I think you're taking on too much. You don't _need_ to do this. You're absolutely exhausted; you keep getting headaches… something's gotta give, sweetheart. Maybe you need–"

He broke off immediately as a loud thump from behind him interrupted his sentence. Turning, he saw his daughter in a crumpled heap on the floor and rushed to her side. Dropping to his knees beside her, he checked her pulse before attempting to wake her up.

Panic coursed through him as Katy remained completely unresponsive. He pulled out his mobile and dialled an ambulance, still trying to wake her up, snapping at the voice on the other end in his panic. Reassured that help was on its way, he clamped the handset between his ear and shoulder and called Glenda to explain what was happening. A loud crash from her end told him that she had dropped something in shock, before she announced that she was coming straight over.

They waited together, still trying to wake Katy, until the ambulance arrived. Reluctantly Jack agreed to let Glenda accompany his daughter to the hospital, promising to get there as soon as he'd arranged for someone to collect the children from school.

Glenda bombarded the paramedics with questions; barely taking any notice of the questions they were asking her. Hearing that she was currently in remission, the man's ears pricked up and he attempted to redirect the conversation to get any useful information from the woman.

"Ms Mitchell?" Glenda glanced up as the doctor approached. "You're Katherine's grandmother?"

She'd been sitting in the waiting room for several hours. Jack had called to say he'd be there as soon as possible, but there was still no sign of him. Alternating between sitting on the hard plastic seats and pacing around the space, Glenda had considered all the possible outcomes of Katy's collapse. The most obvious was the one she was dreading the most. By the time the doctor appeared she was at the very end of her tether, desperate for information about her granddaughter's condition.

"Yes. What's happening?"

"I'm Doctor Metcalfe; I'll be in charge of your granddaughter's case. We've done quite a few tests but, worst case scenario, is that they'll confirm that Katherine is experiencing an AML relapse." He told her gently. When Glenda buried her head in her hands, he reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Her notes indicate that she's strong and, hopefully, will respond just as well to treatment as she has in the past."

"Again?" Glenda almost whispered. "We thought she'd beaten it."

"She's otherwise very healthy, her age goes in her favour and she responded well to treatment last time."

"So what's the plan?"

"Depending on the results of the tests, it might be time to seriously consider a transplant; either bone marrow or stem cell."

"What would that entail?"

"The best bet would be a sibling match." He explained gently. "A half-matched transplant would be more risky, but a parent donor would possibly be our second choice."

"Katy's got a half-sister and two half-brothers." Glenda told him. "Surely that would be the same as using her dad as donor?"

The doctor nodded slowly. "A matched non-related donor is another option." Reaching out, he squeezed her hand again. "But we should wait until the test results are back before worrying about that."

"Can I see her?"

"Of course." He agreed instantly. "She's conscious, but a bit groggy."

He smiled and led the way to Katy's room, pushing the door open and standing back to let her in. Glenda rushed to her granddaughter's side, pushing her hair off her face and cupping her cheek gently. The younger blonde was drifting in and out of consciousness, but managed to smile weakly and attempting to pull herself into a seated position.

"Gran…"

"Shhh, darling." She told her gently, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead. "You gave us a right shock."

"Sor–"

Glenda almost scowled at her. "Don't you dare apologise. I've been trying to get you to slow down because I knew… I knew something wasn't right."

"Gran, please…"

Understanding that she wasn't in any state for a lecture or an argument, Glenda nodded and leant back in her seat, clutching Katy's hand as though it was a lifeline. They chatted about other things for a while, before Katy asked the inevitable questions about the children and Jack.

"Don't worry yourself about that." Glenda sighed deeply. "This is how you end up in this position in the first place."

"I know, Gran, but there's just so much to–"

"No, there isn't. Jack and I will manage together. Whitney and Stacey can help out at the bar if I can't do it all. The kids will be absolutely fine. They're–"

"They're used to it, I know."

"That's _not_ what I was going to say." Glenda told her, rolling her eyes. "Stop being a brat."

Katy laughed, thankful for her attempt to lighten the mood. Reassured that everything was under control, trusting Glenda implicitly – something that would have been completely out of the question several years previously – the younger woman allowed her grandmother to tell her about whatever was going on with Jean at the moment.

"Katy… you alright, darlin'?"

Glenda rolled her eyes at her son-in-law. "Of course she's not alright."

"No, I know, I mean…"

"I'm fine, Dad." Katy took pity on him, accepting the kiss on her cheek. "How're the kids?"

"Fine… I haven't told them yet… I didn't want them to get upset."

"It's OK." She smiled weakly. "Hopefully I'll be out of here before too long."

"Katy…"

"Dad, seriously. I'm OK."

"We'll wait and see what the doctors have to say about that one, Ms Mitchell." Glenda interrupted, arching an eyebrow at her.

Huffing, Katy dropped her head back against the pillows, ignoring the slightly scared expression on her father's face at the movement. She suddenly remembered that he hadn't been present for any of her hospital stays in the past, but Glenda was more than used to her behaviour.

"You might as well go home." She muttered at last, glancing at the time. "They're not gonna come round and say anything useful now. The kids will be wondering what's going on."

"Katy, we're not just going to–" Jack started, but Glenda was already on her feet.

"We'll be back in the morning, my darling." She said, bending to press another kiss to her granddaughter's forehead. "Make the most of the peace and quiet and get some rest. Do _not_ wind the nurses up."

Laughing softly, the younger blonde agreed. Jack still didn't look convinced, but he followed his mother-in-law out of the hospital room. Katy watched them, knowing that Glenda would be making her way to the nurses' station and demanding information on her condition. Smirking to herself, she scooted under the thin blanket and gave into the wave of exhaustion that had been creeping up on her for a long while.

* * *

The next morning, Glenda and Jack turned up with several other people in tow. Katy was less than impressed when Whitney and Stacey almost crashed into the room with her father and grandmother, Shirley bringing up the rear. They asked her all sorts of questions until Katy claimed that she was tired and they reluctantly said goodbye. Shirley sent her a knowing smirk as she left and Katy chuckled, ducking her head.

"So, how are you really feeling?" Glenda demanded once they were alone.

"I'm fine, Gran, I promise."

"This has got to be a wake up call, Katy." Jack warned her, leaning forward and shaking his head at her. "I keep telling you to calm down, to take a break every now and then. You need to start taking care of yourself."

"Yeah, OK, Dad. I get it, alright?"

He evidently had more to say, but the door opened at that very moment and the doctor poked his head inside. At once they were all on edge, knowing that whatever he had to say would drastically change things. Glenda moved closer to her granddaughter, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and squeezing reassuringly.

"It's good news!" Doctor Metcalfe smiled at the pair seated around Katy's bed. "It's not an AML relapse."

"It's not?"

"No, it's just a nasty infection. There are no signs that the leukaemia is back."

"You're serious?" Katy beamed at him. "It's really not back?"

"I'm serious. You're results are actually looking really positive." Still smiling round at them, he moved towards the door. "With some IV antibiotics and rest you should be home in a couple of days. I'll leave you to it."

As soon as he'd left the room, Katy's father and grandmother started talking at once. Glenda practically lay across Katy, hugging her tightly and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. Jack was beaming, squeezing her hand tightly, unable to stop congratulating her on the outcome of the tests.

"This really has got to be a wake up call, though." Jack pointed out seriously. "You need to start letting other people help out a bit more."

"Dad, Gran has the kids most of the time and Whit's a massive help at the bar." Katy pointed out. "It's just an infection, I'll be fine."

"No. No!" He shook his head, frowning at her. "When you thought it was the AML you agreed that you need to stop doing everything on your own. Just because it's an infection–"

"Alright, alright." She sighed, shrugging. "Whatever you want, Dad."

The door opened again and all three turned, expecting to see the doctor or a nurse in the doorway. Instead, all three of them stared in open-mouthed confusion.

"Tyler… what the _hell_ are you doing here?"

* * *

_**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Leah -**__** although I wish it was more cheerful. Keep your head up, chick!**_

_**x**_


	18. Chapter 18

"I think you'd better answer her question." Jack said coldly when Tyler made no attempt to speak. "Shouldn't you be in Spain with your fiancée?"

"Ruby told me you were in 'ere. I was worried so I got the first flight over." He shrugged. "I still care, K. We're still mates, ain't we?"

"Shame you didn't care when–"

"Gran." The younger blonde shook her head and pulled herself into a seated position against the headboard. "You shouldn't have come, Tyler."

"Yeah, I am starting to regret it." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

Inhaling deeply, Katy jerked her shoulders in a shrug. "Look, we needed to talk about the kids coming over to see your family and meet… your fiancée. Why don't you take them back over to Spain with you for the rest of the holidays. That would give me a chance to recover properly and you can spend some time with them."

"Katy!" Glenda folded her arms, looking thoroughly unimpressed by the suggestion. Beside her Jack looked equally irritated.

"Yeah?" Tyler's face lit up at the proposition. "I thought… well, I thought you'd make this difficult."

"Me?" She joked weakly. "Would I do that?"

"Thanks, Katy."

"I'm doing it for the kids." The young woman replied bluntly. "Do not make me regret it."

At Katy's insistence, Glenda had reluctantly gone back to the Square with Tyler to sort the children and their packing, ready to fly back to Spain that evening. Jack had tried to change her mind, telling her that it wasn't too late to tell Tyler they weren't going. Katy, however, had stuck stubbornly to the plan.

"Katy, I… I said Mel could stay on in the flat."

Immediately she opened her mouth to speak. Then she closed it, shaking her head and closing her eyes tiredly. She didn't have the energy to rehash the same argument over and over again. If Jack wanted to get himself wrapped up in a situation with Mel that was his lookout.

"What? No sarky comment?"

"I really can't be arsed, Dad." She replied bluntly. "You know how I feel about her; that ain't about to change. But it's your life and as long as it doesn't affect the kids, it's got nothing to do with me."

"Katy…"

"I want you to be happy. I just don't think you will be with her."

He leant back in his chair contemplatively, but thankfully didn't mention the older blonde again. They chatted about the bar for a while and what the children were getting up to. Katy arched an eyebrow as Jack attempted to fill her in about the Square's gossip, missing out key bits of information until she prompted to go back and fill in the gaps.

By the time Glenda and Tyler turned up with the children in tow, Katy was giggling at her Dad's impression of Kat and Stacey helping a drunk Mo back across the Square in the direction of the flat she shared with Kush. She held out her arms and beamed at Matthew and the girls, pressing kisses to each of their heads and telling them to have a brilliant time in Spain.

"I still think you're making a mistake." Glenda announced as soon as they'd gone.

"Oh, Gran, I know you do." Katy sighed deeply.

"No, seriously, Katherine. How can you be sure he'll bring them back?"

"Because he's a good guy." Her granddaughter replied, arching an eyebrow. "He's their dad. We both just want the best for them. Besides, if they don't come back I'll send you and Dad over to get them."

Glenda and Jack still looked unconvinced, but seeing as it was too late for them to do anything about it, they dropped the subject. The silence on the topic of Tyler lasted until Katy was discharged from hospital and back home.

It was strange in the flat without the kids. Glenda was spending most of her time over at the bar, making sure her granddaughter had no excuse to stop resting and return to work. Jack was still too annoyed that she'd let Tyler take Matthew and the girls back to Spain with him to really speak to her, although he was trying, largely unsuccessfully, to pretend that he wasn't.

Not having the children at home, however, meant that Katy was spared going to the big family meal at Phil's. She had simply turned down the invitation, claiming that she didn't feel up to it and Sharon hadn't pressed the matter. There wasn't even a mention of Glenda going.

The news of Louise's kidnap didn't reach Katy until a couple of days later. It wasn't until the end of that week that she was feeling well enough to go back to work, knowing that she needed to be back in a routine before the children arrived home at the weekend. They seemed to be having a good time in Spain, Ruby ringing to talk to her about everything they'd done every night before she went to bed.

She hadn't mentioned Tyler's fiancée once; something that Katy found incredibly suspicious. By the third night, she was asking leading questions, attempting to trick her daughter into giving her any form of information possible. Apart from a few offhand comments there was nothing, however. There wasn't even any sign of her in any of the photos Ruby had sent of what they'd been getting up to.

"How're you feeling?"

Katy looked up, smiling weakly at Jay's question. "I'm alright, love, how're you?"

"Great." He leant on the bar between them. "Have you heard, me and Ruby are together? Properly this time."

His cousin beamed. "Yeah? That's great! Congratulations, babe. When did that happen?"

Jay winced slightly. "While Phil and Ben were out looking for Louise."

"Eh?" Katy's head whipped up from the till and she frowned, not having any idea what he was talking about. "Why were they looking for Lou?"

"Didn't you hear?"

"Clearly not."

"She was kidnapped… some geezer Phil's had a run in with. Apparently she was gonna be sent to Russia or something in a shipping container. Phil, Ben and Keanu only just managed tracked her down in time at some yard."

"You're not serious?" Katy gaped at him. "Why did no one tell me?"

"What could you have done?" Jay reasoned, frowning at the expression on her face. "Seriously, K. I think you've got the best idea, staying out of it all."

"I was ill, Jay, it wasn't a choice."

"You can say that again… Jack says the kids are in Spain with Tyler."

She rolled her eyes. "He's their dad; only one they've got, anyway. I trust him to take care of them. They were better off over there this week while I was cooped up in the flat."

"If you say so." He shrugged. "Listen, you seen Lola?"

Katy shook her head. "No, not for a while. Why? She OK?"

"Yeah, she… she wanted us to get back together."

"Us? Oh! You and her." Katy laughed. "I thought you meant _us_ for a minute. Which… eww?"

Jay laughed too. "Yeah, so gross. So, yeah… she had a fiancé up North, but she basically said she'd chuck him so we could be together. I… I turned her down."

Katy considered him for a moment, before reaching into the fridge and handing him a bottle of lager. She ignored his arguments, popping the cap and pushing it towards him. As he took it, almost reluctantly, she made herself a vodka and leant her elbows on the bar, sipping thoughtfully.

"I think you were right to." She told him at last. "I love Lola and I want her to be happy, of course I do, but… I don't think you'd work. It's too…" She inhaled sharply. "This family is too fucked up, you know?"

Jay looked at her for a moment, leaning closer. "What's wrong? Tyler?"

She shook her head. "No, course not. I just… I was always so proud of being a Mitchell but now I… what have I really got left? Mum and Rox and Aunty Peg are gone and the rest of them…"

"You've got me."

"I know, babe." She smiled weakly. "And I will always have your back, you know that. But I just… part of me thinks I should just change our names and be done with it. Dad's a Branning. By rights, me and the kids should be Brannings. The kids nearly _were_ at one point."

"Why haven't you, then?"

"Because…" She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Slowly, she rounded the bar and perched on one of the stools, shrugging. "Mainly because I was holding out hope that maybe… I didn't quite believe they were really gone."

"Who?" Jay blinked in confusion. "Ronnie and Roxy?"

"Yeah. I know it's ridiculous. I just… I never really felt like they were dead. I felt like… oh, I don't know." Katy downed the rest of her drink and turned to refill the glass. "I know you dealt with the coffins and the funeral and that but, because I never actually saw their… them… I've been trying to convince myself that maybe there's a possibility they're out there somewhere."

"I didn't either."

"Huh?"

"I never saw their bodies." Jay told her, taking a long gulp of his drink. "Les brought some people in because he knew it would be too hard for me and Bill to deal with."

"So you…?"

"We did everything else, all the other arrangements. But we never dealt with their bodies. I never saw them, Katy."

She furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Are you saying they might not have been in the coffins?"

Jay shook his head. "No, I ain't saying that at all. Jack saw Ronnie, Billy too. I'm just… I'm just saying that I never actually did."

"Jay I just… I want to believe that they're alive so badly... admitting that they're really done feels like… it feels like I'm giving up on them. It feels like I'm letting them down."

"You ain't letting them down, Katy." He told her gently, pulling her into a hug. "You know how proud they'd be." Jay rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes. "You've got to let them go. Refusing to believe that they're gone is just gonna mess you up. I miss them too, but they're not coming back, K."

"I know…" She mumbled, clinging on more tightly. "I know they're dead but I… I want my mum."

Jay hugged her, not knowing what else to say. When he felt her shaking, sobs racking her body, he tightened his grip. Katy fisted her hands in the back of his jacket, resting her forehead on his shoulder and squeezing her eyes tightly closed.

"Let me call and cancel my appointment." Jay suggested softly. "I'll stick around here for a bit."

Katy pulled away, shaking her head and wiping her eyes. "Don't be silly. We've both got stuff to do. I'll catch you at Billy's party later, yeah?"

When she saw that he was about to argue, Katy gently shoved him towards the door and returned to checking the till. Jay watched her for a moment, before sighing and heading out of the bar. When the door banged shut, the young woman sighed and paused, leaning heavily against the bar.

She went about the rest of the time until Billy's party in a complete daze. If it hadn't been for Ruby phoning and demanding that she come home, Katy probably would have skipped going to the Vic altogether. As it was, she wasn't really the best company and took up residence in one of the booths with a bottle of white wine.

Shirley had arched an eyebrow at the request, but not mentioned anything about the young woman ordering something other than vodka. Nursing the glass thoughtfully, Katy watched the goings on around her but didn't say much, even when Jay and then Lola attempted to engage her in conversation. When Jack arrived to pick up the children for a sleepover at his, Katy considered getting up and leaving, but Shirley had other ideas.

Sauntering over, she slid onto the bench beside the younger woman and fixed her with a knowing glare. Katy attempted to ignore her for a while, keeping her attention fixed on the crowd singing along to the karaoke track, feeling the eyes burning into the side of her head. Eventually she huffed and turned to look at Shirley with a frown.

"What?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I dunno what you're on about."

"Katy, I can read you like a bloody book." Shirley pointed out, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "What's bothering you?"

"I've got a bad feeling." Katy admitted quietly, shaking her head and looking at her drink. "I can feel that something's going to happen… I just don't know what."

Shirley snorted. "You're a Mitchell, ain't ya? Something bad's always happening."

"Helpful, Shirl."

"Look… if something's happening that you can control, do something about it. If it's something that you can't control then…" Shirley shrugged. "You've gotta stop taking the world on your shoulders. You say you're all about family, but you won't let them help you, not really. Yeah, you let Glenda and Jack look after the kids when you need them to, but you don't actually trust them, do you? You don't trust anyone."

"I trusted–"

"Ronnie and Roxy, yeah, I know." Shirley shrugged. "But they're dead and buried, Katy. They ain't coming back. You need to move on."

"That easy, is it?"

"No." The older woman admitted, shaking her head. "It ain't. But it's been two years."

"What if they're–?"

"Please don't tell me the rest of that sentence is gonna be 'what if they're not gone?' You _know_ they're gone, Katy. They'd have been back before now otherwise, or let you know at least. Not even Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell can survive a heart attack and drowning."

"Amy reckons they're still alive."

"Amy's a kid." Shirley pointed out bluntly. "She's one of you lot, so she's gonna need a mountain of therapy as it is, but letting her believe that is just gonna make it worse."

Katy nodded slowly. She drained her glass and stood up. "You're right, Shirl. I'm gonna have to deal with things on my own."

As she stalked out of the pub, letting the doors bang behind her, Shirley rolled her eyes. Gathering the empty glass and bottle, she muttered under her breath, "that's not what I said."


	19. Chapter 19

"Glenda… I think you need to keep an eye on Katy."

Narrowing her eyes, Glenda fixed Shirley with a scowl as she attempted to work out what game the other woman was playing. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Katy… I think she's going to do something stupid."

"My granddaughter doesn't do stupid things."

Shirley rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Glenda, you know as well as I do that she _does_."

There was a pause as the older woman considered her for a moment. She knew that Shirley was right; that Katy was the first person to do something stupid without thinking because she thought it was the best option at the time. Glenda huffed, irritated that it had taken Shirley to point out that Katy might be in danger of getting herself into trouble again.

"Well? What do you know?" She demanded at last.

"I don't know specifically," Shirley admitted with a shrug, "we were talking at Billy's party and I just got the impression that she's about to make a rash decision about something. She said she'd have to deal with something her own."

Glenda ran a hand through her hair. "We both know the kind of trouble Katy gets into when she thinks she's on her own. Did she not give any kind of hint about what she was talking about?"

"Nah… but I think she's finally admitted that her mum and Roxy ain't gonna magically walk through the door and tell her it's all been some bloody misunderstanding."

"That's something, I suppose."

"Have you got any idea what she might have been talking about?"

Glenda shook her head. "No… no idea."

"Maybe we should speak to Jack?"

The older woman looked mortally offended that her son-in-law might have more of an idea about what Katy was planning than she did. Swallowing the last of her wine, Glenda placed her glass down with a thud and narrowed her eyes at Shirley, before sliding off the stool.

"I'm going to speak to my granddaughter and find out what's going on."

"You really think she's going to tell you?"

"Of course she will." Glenda replied with a certainty that she didn't feel. When Shirley arched an eyebrow she huffed loudly. "She will."

Making her way towards the R&R, the blonde smiled at the barmen stocking up, winking flirtatiously as they caught her eyes, before heading towards Katy's office. She frowned as her granddaughter jumped, immediately behind the door when it opened, clearly intending to go out.

"Alright, my darling?"

"I'm just off to the bank." Katy told her with a weak smile. "Been putting it off for a couple of days."

"Shirl thinks there's something wrong."

Arching an eyebrow at Glenda's direct attempt to get information out of her, the younger blonde laughed softly. "She does, does she? Since when have you been listening to what Shirley thinks?"

"Since you and her have been having little chats."

"Don't be jealous, Gran."

"I'm not jealous of Shirley Carter." Glenda looked disgusted. "But if there is something, you can talk to me, darling."

"What does she think is wrong?"

"She didn't know."

Katy laughed. "Right…"

"She said you've admitted that Veronica and Roxanne aren't coming back." When her granddaughter exhaled sharply, Glenda reached out to her. "I know we've been through this before, but–"

"Can't we just drop it. I've got to get to the bank."

Pushing past her, Katy left the office and headed down the stairs. She shot a weak smile at the bar staff before disappearing out into the street and striding towards the High Street.

She hadn't made it very far before bumping into Tina and Shirley. She smiled, wishing the younger Carter sister a happy birthday, before laughing as she was pulled into a tight hug. As soon as Tina let her go, she turned a knowing look on the older woman beside her.

"You need to keep your mouth shut, Carter."

"You need to stop being a brat, Mitchell."

Sending her a wry smile, ignoring the questioning look Tina was shifting between them, Katy promised that she'd be in the Vic later to celebrate with them. She knew that Tina would be quizzing her sister as soon as she was out of earshot and grinned to herself as she made her way towards the bank.

* * *

"You run this place?"

Katy, jumped at the sudden voice and twisted quickly to look at the man who'd just appeared in the room, leaning against the bar and looking around him appreciatively. "I _own_ this place. Katy Mitchell. And you are?"

"Sean Slater."

"So _you're_ Sean?" She asked interestedly.

She'd heard about the recent drama surrounding the man; everything that had happened between Sean and Jean, not to mention his impromptu milkshake date with Amy. Far from being angry with him for scaring everyone by taking her sister without anyone else knowing, Katy was intrigued by the move. She wanted to know why he had bothered to do it.

"Yeah…" His eyes narrowed. "How did you…?"

"You were married to my Aunty Roxy, weren't ya? I'm Ronnie and Jack's daughter." Katy explained. Seeing his expression harden, she sighed and raised a pint glass in silent offering. When he nodded, Katy moved to the pump. "She once told me messing up with you was her biggest regret… and Rox didn't really regret much. You heard she… she died?"

"Yeah."

Katy nodded slowly and then smiled. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Can I get a drink?"

She sighed, looking at him carefully for a moment. "We're not strictly open, but seeing as you're _technically_ family…" Katy tilted her head. "If there's any trouble–"

"There won't be." He held his hands up.

Katy nodded at him slowly, more intrigued by the minute. "There better not."

Turning her back, Katy fixed him a double measure of whiskey, holding up a hand as he fumbled for some money to pay her. She smiled, watching him carefully and trying to bite her tongue. He watched her back, a smirk twisting up the corners of his lips at her struggle.

"Why'd you take Amy?" She asked at last, unable to help herself.

"I would never have hurt her."

"I know that. She said you were a bit weird, but nice."

Sean laughed at that, shaking his head. "I wanted to see her; to make sure she was OK. I didn't know Rox was… I wanted to see if Amy was like her."

"She is, ain't she?" Katy grinned.

"Yeah, she really is. She's a good kid, though. I can tell."

"She has her moments." The blonde leant against the bar chuckling fondly as they talked about her sister. "She's a right little diva and the gob on her… seriously, she's Rox 2.0."

"I miss them, you know? They were my family."

Katy nodded slowly, seeing the truth in Sean's eyes. He quickly averted his gaze, not wanting to see the pity there. In reality, Katy didn't pity him in the slightest, but she understood the ache that he was feeling in his chest.

"I know."

Clearing his throat, Sean stood up suddenly. "Look, I'm going away. Look after Amy, yeah? Make sure she's OK."

"Of course… she's my sister."

"Mitchell sisters always stick together, right?"

"Yeah, we do." Katy agreed, returning his smile.

She watched as he hesitated for a moment and then nodded, shooting her a fleeting smile before striding out of the bar without a backwards glance. Pausing for a moment with her hand on the glass he'd only half finished, Katy thought for a moment. Then she dropped her gaze to the liquid and lifted it to her lips, cherishing the burn as it trickled down her throat.

* * *

After thinking about her decision for much longer than she normally would, Katy decided to act. She'd been ringing round attempting to find out where Dean might have gone after leaving Walford on Glenda's birthday. She'd finally managed to track him down and got a number to call.

Toying with the scrap of paper with the mobile number scribbled on, Katy nodded decisively, before dialling. As soon as the ringing started, she began to regret the idea, her mouth going dry as she actually thought about what she was about to offer.

"Dean? It's Katy Mitchell."

"What d'you want?"

"We used to be mates, didn't we?" She asked, keeping her voice level. "Look, I'm sorry that Nathan told you that Ruby was your niece, but she really isn't. Us arguing about it ain't gonna change that."

"Why should I believe you, eh?" He demanded, his tone aggressive and unyielding. "You also told me that you ain't seen Nathan in seven years and don't know where he is."

"It's the truth, Dean. I have no idea where Nathan is."

"I don't believe you."

"There's nothing I can do about that, is there?" Katy sighed, rubbing her eyes. She was already regretting the conversation. "But I am telling you the truth."

"There is something you can do about it."

"What?"

"You want me to just go away and leave you to live your perfect life with your perfect family."

Katy laughed, unable to help herself. "I'm telling you now, my life and family are far from perfect."

"But you don't want me in it, do you?"

"Dean, we've been friends since we were kids. It's not that I don't want you in my life. I just want you to understand that Ruby is not Nathan's daughter."

That was his cue to laugh. "If you want me to stop pushing the point, to stop digging around for information, it's gonna cost you."

Resting her forehead on her palm, Katy sighed. "How much?"

"Ten grand."

"Ten grand?" She snorted. "Ten grand to convince you that a girl who is absolutely nothing to do with you isn't your niece? No chance."

"OK… if you won't pay up then I won't let it go."

"You do realise that it's my daughter that's going to be most affected by this." Katy snapped. "My seven-year-old daughter who's currently over the moon because her _dad_ is getting married. She's got nothing to do with any of this, but if you keep–"

"Like I said; ten grand and you'll never hear from me again."

Katy clenched her jaw, thinking about it. "Paying you off is like admitting I've got something to hide, which I don't."

"I don't care about that. I just want the money."

"And now we get to the bottom of it." She leant back in her chair, narrowing her eyes. "You never thought Ruby was Nathan's in the first place, did you?"

"Oh, I did and I still do. I also don't believe that you don't know where my brother is." He replied coldly. "But I'm willing to forget about that, for the right price."

"I can't get you ten grand any time soon." Katy told him, clenching her jaw. "I might be able to get five."

"I want ten."

"You'll get five."

There was a long pause as Dean considered his options. Then he made an irritable sound. "Fine. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow or the deal's off the table."

"I give you five grand and you disappear, right?" She confirmed. "Five grand and we never see or hear from you again. You drop this ridiculousness about Nathan being Ruby's father."

"Five grand and I'll willingly never come near you again."

"When and where?"

"Tomorrow at five. I'll come to you."

Katy snorted. "No chance. There's a caf on Victoria Road; I'll meet you there."

"If you insist."

"Dean, I'm warning you, if you go back on this–"

"Trust me, I've got no interest in dragging this out any longer than I have to. I wanna get back to Australia."

"It won't be a minute too soon."

He chuckled. "I'm gonna miss you too."

"Tomorrow at five. I'll have your money and then you can piss off."

She hung up on his laughing, putting her head in her hands for a moment, before combing them through her hair and letting out a long exhalation of breath. Standing up, she made her way over to the safe to see how much was in there, cursing the fact that she'd gone to the bank earlier.

"You two can shut up an' all." She muttered, frowning at the picture of her mum and Roxy on the wall.

Pausing for a moment, she bit her lip thinking hard about how to get the rest of the money she needed. The twinkling eyes and broad smiles of the two blondes staring down at her gave her an idea and she locked the safe quickly. Grabbing her things, she headed out of the office, calling out a vague goodbye to anyone who might be listening.

"Katy? Your accountant called again." Whitney called, catching her as she hurried down the stairs.

"What? Why?"

"He wouldn't say." She shrugged. "Said he needed to talk to you urgently."

"If he calls back, get him to email me."

"Is that a good idea?"

"This place is completely legit, Whit." Katy assured her. "R&R is totally above board. There's absolutely nothing dodgy going on, so he can definitely email me with whatever he wants to tell me."

"Now I'm worried." Her friend deadpanned.

Katy laughed and carried on out of the bar. She headed straight home, confident that there would be nobody there and went straight into her bedroom. Throwing open the wardrobe doors, she started rummaging through the piles of shoes and bags in the bottom until she found what she was looking for.

Dragging out a black holdall she smirked slightly to herself as she considered the unoriginality of her hiding place. Opening it up, she reached out and picked out one of the bundles of notes, considering for a moment. Katy had promised herself that she wouldn't touch the money – that it was for the kids and she would only use it if they really needed it. But, she reasoned, this was for Ruby, to keep her safe.

Grabbing five bundles, she shoved them into her bag and replaced everything in the wardrobe before returning to the bar. She locked it away in the safe, glancing at the photo hanging beside it and sighing deeply. She couldn't help the feeling that Ronnie and Roxy were judging her for her choices.

"Hey? You coming to the Vic for Tina's birthday party?" Whitney called, poking her head around the door. "Mick's back."

"Really? That's awesome."

"Did the accountant email?"

"I dunno." Katy shrugged, closing the office door with a firm click. "I'll check tomorrow. I'm taking tonight off."


	20. Chapter 20

Katy had spent the whole day feeling as though what she was about to do was painfully obvious to everyone. The five grand in the safe seemed to be taunting her from across the office and she couldn't help the wave of nausea that rose up inside her every time she thought about the man that she was meeting later that afternoon.

After Whitney asking, for the third time that morning, whether she'd spoken to the accountant yet, Katy sighed and reluctantly checked her emails. A deep frown marred her features as she read the words he'd sent her, before snatching up her mobile and finding his number in her contacts list.

Running a hand through her hair agitatedly, she waited with growing impatience for her call to be answered. It felt as though her accountant was being deliberately annoying to pay her back for not getting in contact with him straight away.

"Jeff? What's all this about?" She demanded, dispensing with pleasantries in her desire to know what was going on.

"As I stated in the email, Miss Mitchell–"

"Yeah, yeah, I read the email." Katy sighed. "I don't understand though."

"On Monday a large sum of money was deposited in the R&R business account. It was such a considerable amount that it would definitely raise some awkward questions."

"But where is it from?"

"I was hoping you'd have some idea of that, Ms Mitchell." Jeff sighed. "I have to tell you that if this money has been deposited in the account for nefarious reasons–"

"Nefarious reasons." Katy rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Twenty-five thousand pounds is a massive amount of money to be deposited in one lump sum. If this has anything to do with Philip Mitchell or–"

"The R&R is _mine_." She informed him firmly. "It has nothing to do with anyone else. If I find out that Phil or anyone else are trying to interfere with my business, I'll kill them myself."

"I'll try and forget you said that, Ms Mitchell."

"Is there any way of tracing where that money came from?" Katy asked, resting her forehead on her palm wearily.

"All I can see is that it came from a Spanish bank account."

"Spanish?"

"Does that tell you anything?"

"Not really." Katy chewed her lip. There was no way Tyler or his family would have twenty-five grand to put into her account and, even if they did, it didn't make sense anyway. "So what do we do?"

"For now, I suggest transferring the money into a separate account." Jeff told her. "Until we can verify the provenance it's safer to keep it out of the R&R's accounts."

"OK, do it. I'll see if I can find anything out this end. Let me know if anything else happens."

"As long as you take my calls."

She rolled her eyes. "OK, OK."

Ending the call, she thought hard for a long time, staring into space and chewing her lip as she considered where the money might have come from. Again, as it had when she received the letter that she had thought had come from her mother, she thought of Daniel and Carlos Belan. She still couldn't work out why they would be trying to contact her; as far as she knew they had no idea that the twins even existed, let alone that they were Daniel's.

"Katy? We could do with a hand out here." Leon knocked on the office door before poking his head inside. "The lunchtime rush is more of a rush than normal for some reason."

She nodded and moved across the room to join him, trying her best to forget about the situations that seemed to be unfolding around her.

* * *

"Gran, change of plan. I need to stick around here for a while, so can you keep hold of the kids for a bit longer? I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Katy had spent the afternoon working her way through the accounts, trying to find a clue as to where the money had come from. She was also acutely aware of the time, keeping one eye on the clock as it crept closer and closer to five.

At ten to, she had closed down her computer and moved across to the safe. Once the five grand was stowed safely in her bag, she pulled out her phone and called her grandmother, bracing herself for an argument after she'd made her request.

"Fine." Glenda sighed deeply. "D'you want me to come and get Ruby?"

Katy frowned, her hand stilling on the zip of her jacket. "What d'you mean?"

"Well, I assume Jay dropped her with you and if you're caught up in–"

"Jay? What are you talking about?"

"When I went to pick her up from dance club they said that her uncle had already collected her. Seeing as Jay's the only uncle the school would recognise and let her go with, it must have been him."

"I never asked Jay to get her." Katy was on her feet, rushing out of the office without a second thought. She ignored everyone as she ran down the stairs and out into the street, making her way to the funeral parlour. "Hang on…"

"You alright, babe?" Jay asked, looking confused as she burst into the room.

"Did you collect Ruby from dance club?"

He frowned. "No? You never asked me to."

"Shit!"

"What's going on?"

Remembering that she was still on the phone, Katy told Glenda she'd phone her back and hurriedly ended the call. Turning back to her cousin, she hastily explained what was going on. From the ashen expression on Jay's face she realised that he really had no idea what might have happened to her daughter or who might have picked her up.

"Let's get over to the school and see if they caught her on CCTV." Jay suggested, already grabbing a set of car keys from his desk.

"I ain't going in a hearse."

He rolled his eyes. "Course not, come on."

On the way to Walford Primary, Katy phoned Jack and Phil, telling them both what had happened. Immediately, both men had leapt into action, telling the young woman that they would ring around and see what they could find out.

Feeling sick to her stomach, Katy followed Jay as he rushed towards the reception, ringing the bell continuously until someone appeared behind the glass. Katy could barely speak, letting Jay do the talking as she clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides and waited to hear something useful that might give her a clue as to what was going on. A heavy weight in the pit of her stomach reminded her that she was sure she knew who had taken her daughter, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it. Admitting that Dean Parry had taken Ruby would mean that she had failed to protect her. It would be her fault that her daughter was missing.

"As you can see, a young man collected Ruby at twenty-eight minutes past four." The headmaster told them, pointing to the CCTV image. He fast-forwarded a couple of minutes, showing Glenda arriving just over five minutes later. "Seeing as Jay Mitchell is on the approved list to pick Ruby up, we didn't think to–"

"_This_ is Jay Mitchell." Katy snapped, motioning towards him. "_That_ clearly isn't."

"Ms Mitchell, I don't know what to–"

"I don't want you to say anything." She snapped. "My daughter is missing because you let her go off with a stranger. You've lost my _daughter_ less than two weeks after you lost my _sister_! What the hell are you even doing?"

"I'll call the police–"

"You've done enough."

Demanding a print out of the man who'd collected Ruby, Katy snatched it out of his hand and marched back to the car. She ordered Jay to drop her off on Victoria Road, refusing to tell him why. Marching into the café, she glanced around, looking for a glimpse of the man she was there to meet. Not seeing him, her eyebrows furrowed in confused. She knew she was very late, but it hadn't occurred to her that Dean wouldn't be there.

Still standing in the middle of the café, Katy looked distractedly down at her mobile as it began to ring. Anger surged through her as she saw Dean's name on the display and answered it with a furious jab of her finger. He started speaking before she could launch into a tirade against him.

"You're late."

"Yeah, I'm late, because I got a call to say that someone claiming to be my daughter's uncle had picked her up from club." Katy snapped. "Where the hell is my daughter?"

"She's safe." Dean promised. "I'm just getting to know my niece a little bit."

"I've got your money, Dean. We had a deal."

"I said ten grand."

"And I told you that wasn't possible." Katy snapped, storming out of the café and looking up and down the road. She guessed that he must be close by considering he must have seen her go into the building. "Where the fuck is Ruby, Dean? I swear to _god_ if you've–"

"She's fine, I told you."

"I wanna speak to her."

There was a rustling and Katy heard him calling out to her daughter. After a pause, another rustle met her ears. She could have cried in relief at the sound of her daughter's voice.

"Hi, Mummy."

"Ruby, are you OK? Where are you? What's happening?"

"I'm fine." Katy could almost hear her daughter rolling her eyes. "Dean's brought me to the park like you asked. Are you coming soon, 'cos I'm really hungry."

Narrowing her eyes, Katy looked around again, realising that Dean obviously wasn't in the vicinity. He must have someone else watching out for her. Her anger rose at the realisation, but she forced herself to stay calm as she spoke to Ruby.

"Which park are you in, angel? I'll come and get you and we'll go for chips, yeah?"

"The normal one, silly. See you soon."

"Ruby? Ruby–"

"See, she's fine." Dean's voice replaced her daughter's and Katy clenched her fists, already striding towards the park. "I want that ten grand."

"I'll kill you for this." She threatened.

"What, like you did my brother?"

"What? I already told you I don't know where Nathan is."

"I don't believe you." He snapped. "I know you too well."

"I want my daughter back, Dean."

"I want my ten grand."

"What?" Katy laughed, rounding the corner at a run. "You think I murdered your brother and you just want ten grand? Makes me almost wish I had killed him if that's all it takes to get away with it."

"Don't play games with me, Mitchell." Dean threatened in a low voice. "I want that money."

Katy sprinted through the gap into the park, looking around wildly. There was no sign of them anywhere. Terrified, she ran along the path, looking desperately for her daughter. When she reached the exit on the opposite side, she ran a hand through her hair.

"Where are you? Ruby said you were at the park in Walford… how can I give you the money if I don't know where you are?"

"Oh… we're just leaving now." Dean told her, his voice lighter than it had been seconds earlier. Katy guessed it was for Ruby's benefit. "She's a bit hungry, so I said I'd take her for a burger. That's OK, yeah? Speak to you later."

"No! Dean!"

Katy ran into the street, just in time to see Dean standing by a car a little way away. He waved at her, before climbing in and driving away. Katy had no chance of reaching them, although she tried her best. The car had rounded the corner and vanished before she even reached the space where it had been parked.

Letting out a scream of fear and frustration, she ran her hand through her hair and looked around wildly, as if there would be some clue as to where they'd gone. Nothing helpful leapt out at her and she turned away, her heart thumping painfully in her chest.

Redialling Dean's number had no effect as it went to answerphone each time she tried. Changing tack, she called Jack, telling him exactly what had happened as she headed back to the Square. He swore down the phone, asking her what the hell she had been thinking, before ordering her to go straight over to his so they could work out what to do. She was unsurprised that he didn't even suggest calling the police.

Phil was already at Jack's when she arrived, scowling at her and launching into criticisms the second she walked through the door. The fact that her father had actually got the older man involved told Katy how serious he thought the situation was; Jack would never have called Phil otherwise.

"I can't believe how stupid you are." Phil was shouting, jabbing his finger in Katy's direction. "Why didn't you come to me straight away, eh?"

"Because I don't need you involved in this, Phil." She retorted irritably. "I can handle this."

"Yeah? You're doing a bang up job so far, ain't ya?"

"This ain't helping." Jack held up his hands, looking between them. "We need to work together to find Ruby before it's too late."

"He ain't gonna hurt her, is he?" Katy pointed out. "He's her uncle. He wants to get back at me for denying it. Ruby will be perfectly safe until we get her back."

"You sure about that?"

"I have to be, don't I?" She almost exploded, tears prickling in her eyes. "If not I…"

"Katy's right." Jack nodded seriously. "Parry wanted to get to know his niece. I don't think he's gonna hurt her."

"But we can't be sure." Phil pointed out, still pacing.

"Phil!" Jack scowled at him, knowing that Katy needed to think positively.

"He's right. We have no idea what Dean's planning." His daughter sighed, glancing towards her older cousin. "What do we do, Phil?"


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing lovelies :)**_

* * *

"I've got your money, Dean. You need to tell me when and where you want me to deliver it, because I want my daughter back and I want her now."

Slamming the phone down on her desk, Katy ran her hands through her hair and stood, picking up the water bottle beside her and taking a long swig. Jack and Phil had completely taken over the search for Ruby, refusing to let the young woman get involved. She hadn't taken too kindly to that and decided that she didn't care about the money or keeping face or whatever the hell else they were going on about. She just wanted Ruby back.

It didn't help that Dean wouldn't answer her calls. She had tried several times and, finally, decided to leave an answerphone message in the hopes of him getting back to her when he realised she was going to give him what he wanted. It had been the longest day and a half of her life.

"Dean!" Picking up the ringing mobile instantly, she breathed his name, as though sure it would be a mistake.

"16, Kempley Road. Come alone and bring the money."

He hung up, but Katy was already on her way out of the office. She didn't answer as one of the barmaids called after her, not even sure who it was, crashing through the door and stalking towards the tube. She knew where the address was, in a rough part of Walford.

It took her about fifteen minutes to find the house, not even hesitating as she rushed up the path and hammered on the front door. Transferring her weight from foot to foot, she bashed on the wood again when it wasn't immediately answered.

"God, you're impatient." Dean rolled his eyes at her as she shoved him aside the second he opened the door.

"Where the fuck is my daughter?"

Almost missing the thud that signalled the front door closing behind her, Katy whirled around and found herself staring into the face of the young man. Dean grinned at her, taking two steps forward and forcing her back. Suddenly she was aware that no one knew where she was and, from the expression on Dean's face, he wasn't particularly keen for her to enlighten anyone. Katy swallowed thickly as her back collided with the post of the banisters.

"Where's my daughter?" She repeated, willing her voice to remain even.

"My _niece_ is safe." He told her, stepping forward again. "I wouldn't hurt her."

"Where's Ruby?" Katy demanded again, her anger overtaking her fear. "Tell me!"

"She's upstairs."

When she turned to head up in search of her, he grabbed her arm. "Where's my brother?"

"For god's sake, I have no idea! How many times do I have to tell you?"

He shoved her backwards, one hand on her shoulder and the other on the wall beside her head. Katy narrowed her eyes, anger overtaking fear as he leant towards her threateningly. Sensing that she was about to bring her head forward in an attempt to headbutt him, Dean grinned and quickly leant away.

"Don't even think about it, Mitchell."

"Get out of my way, then."

"I want answers."

Katy snorted. "I thought you wanted ten grand."

There was a bang as Dean punched the wall beside her head, not even flinching as the plaster cracked and dropped in flakes onto Katy's shoulder. She blinked a couple of times, holding her nerve and jutting out her chin defiantly. Dean's eyes narrowed as he realised she wasn't going to tell him anything.

"Where is he?" He asked slowly, his tone low and threatening.

"I don't fucking know." She replied, equally slowly.

This time she was ready. As Dean raised his hand, evidently intending to hit her, she ducked. His fist connected with the wall, causing another shower of plaster dust. A grunt of pain escaped him and Katy took the opportunity to dodge sideways and escape his grasp.

He was still between her and the staircase, blocking her route up to her daughter. Backing away as he advanced towards her, Katy felt behind her for the door handle and felt the door give, letting her almost fall through it.

Katy tried to shut the door, but Dean blocked it, pushing through and storming towards her. In the middle of the living room she stopped, squaring up to him and standing her ground. There was no way she was letting him think she was scared of him. Dean was nothing compared to some of the people she'd been up against and Katy was confident that she could fight her way out of whatever was heading her way. With Ruby upstairs she was even more determined to get them both out.

"We both know you know where Nathan is… and what happened to him."

Katy laughed softly. "So what if I do? You're never going to be able to prove anything."

"He's really dead?"

She just shrugged, neither confirming nor denying anything. Dean glared at her. He lurched forward and grabbed her by her hair, pushing her back onto the sofa. Katy felt the air knocked from her lungs as she crashed down onto it, falling at an odd angle with the young man landing heavily on top of her. Gasping to get her breath back, she was assaulted by flashbacks of a terrifyingly similar situation.

Katy froze, unable to move as Dean's breath washed over her face and his hands moved over her body. She swallowed thickly, feeling sick to her stomach and unable to understand what he was staying to her. The threat in his tone was obvious, as was his intent from the way his fingers were moving on the buttons of her shirt. One hand moved inside, roughly grabbing at the lace of her bra. The sound of ripping lace was almost a deafening roar in Katy's head as she struggled to force her body to react.

Then it did. With an explosion of movement she regained control of her senses, reaching out for something, anything, that would help her gain the upper hand. As her fingers closed around something solid, she brought it down with all her strength onto the back of Dean's head.

He let out a furious yell at the impact, but shifted enough that Katy could repeat the motion with more effect. She kept hitting until he fell, face first, onto the floorboards. Even then she continued to batter the man, tears clouding her vision until, finally, she sank to the floor and wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her head in her knees.

It took a few minutes for her to compose herself. Inhaling sharply, Katy hauled herself to her feet and regarded the motionless figure in front of her with a scowl. Fury surged through her as she thought about what Dean had tried to do and she kicked him, hard, for good measure.

Then she gingerly stooped and checked for a pulse, careful to avoid getting any blood on her. The young woman was unsurprised when she didn't feel the tell tale beating under her fingertips. Wrinkling her nose, she thought about her next move, glancing upwards and deciding that she needed to get her daughter out of the house and safely home before she did anything else.

Pulling her cardigan sleeve over her hand she picked up the table lamp that she'd used to defend herself and carefully wiped it until she was sure that her fingerprints had been completely cleared. Doing the same with the doorknob, she closed the door behind her and raced up the stairs, two at a time.

"Ruby? Rubes? It's Mum…"

A door opened along the corridor and Katy burst into tears at the sight of her daughter. She gathered the seven-year-old into her arms and pressed kiss after kiss to her face and hair, until Ruby pushed her away complaining. Smiling at her, Katy wiped her daughter's fingerprints off the handles to the room she'd been in, before going inside and gathering up anything that might suggest the girl had been there at all.

"What are you doing?"

"He said you could have these." Katy lied quickly, stuffing the toys into a bag that was helpfully lying around and ushering her daughter out of the room. "Ruby, don't tell anyone you were here, alright? Gramps and Uncle Phil are furious; everyone's been really worried about you."

"Are they cross with you?"

"No… but they would be if they knew I came here without them."

"Why?"

"They don't like Dean." She explained, pushing her through the front door and closing it carefully behind her. If Ruby thought it was weird that had been wiping everything with the fabric still pulled over her hand, she said nothing. "They think he's dangerous. He… he didn't hurt you, did he?"

"I'd like to see him try." The little girl told her fiercely.

Laughing softly at her spirit, Katy pressed a kiss to the top of her head and grabbed her hand. She led her quickly along the street in the direction of the tube station, before changing her mind. Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment, before completely changing course and walking in the opposite direction. They needed to get further away. Catching the tube further down the line would completely confuse any attempts to track her movements.

"Seriously, Ruby, did he do anything to you?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know… he didn't try to scare you or hurt you or anything?"

"No… he just asked me loads of questions." She wrinkled her nose. "I don't think he likes Dad. Do they know each other?"

"No. Why would you ask that?"

Ruby shrugged, swinging their hands casually as they walked. "He asked if Dad was my real dad. I said of course he was."

"Good girl."

"Is he really my uncle?"

Katy scowled at the pavement. "You know I told you that Tyler was the only dad you needed? I meant it, Rubes, OK?"

"OK."

They continued along the road for a while, Katy resolutely ignoring the buzzing of her mobile in her pocket. The money in her bag was weighing heavily on her and she still felt sick. She knew there was a lot to deal with, but she needed to get Ruby home safely and deal with the questions that would be thrown at her first.

Finally they reached a tube station, four stops along the route from the one she'd got off at earlier. Ruby hadn't complained or asked any questions, blindly trusting whatever her mother was doing. Katy smiled at her, before motioning her head to the corner shop and asking whether she wanted some sweets. The blinding smile she received in response melted all of her worries on the spot.

"If Gramps and Uncle Phil are gonna be cross, what are you gonna say to them?" Ruby asked suddenly.

Katy glanced at her, watching as she swung her legs and picked at the tube seat absentmindedly. "Don't you worry about that, sweetie."

"Why was he shouting?"

"Who?"

"That man… Dean?"

"Oh… it was nothing, angel." Katy shrugged, smiling at her quickly. "He doesn't like Gramps or Uncle Phil and I told him they weren't happy, that's all."

"So… you're OK?"

"Of course I am," Her mother laughed weakly, prodding her nose gently and wrapping an arm around her, "especially now I've got you back."

"Why is your shirt done up wrong?"

Glancing down, Katy swore under her breath and hastily redid the buttons. "I'm so silly sometimes."

Ruby laughed, much to her mother's relief. "You're a silly goose."

"I am."

As they neared Albert Square, Katy felt her tension lifting. It returned with full force as they stepped out of the station and turned to walk towards home. They had barely made it under the bridge before Jack spotted them. He broke into a run, scooping Ruby into his arms and hugging her tightly until she wiggled in protest.

"What happened?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes as he glared at his daughter.

"Nothing." She replied evenly. "Rubes is home, where she belongs. That's the end of it."

"Katy–"

"I need to get her home."

"You need to tell me–"

"Dad, not now."

Grasping Ruby's hand tightly in hers, she pushed past him and headed for home. Her daughter looked behind them, watching Jack just standing and watching them walk away. She furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully but, seeing Katy staring resolutely ahead of her, she said nothing.

Glenda was overjoyed to see her great-granddaughter when Katy let them into the flat. She immediately started fussing over the seven-year-old; offering her drinks and snacks and asking whether she wanted to choose something to watch on the television. Katy rolled her eyes fondly but said nothing, allowing the older woman to indulge herself and thoroughly spoil her eldest daughter.

"Should I ask?" Glenda hissed when the children were distracted.

Katy turned her head and looked at her thoughtfully. She was leaning against the kitchen counters, hands wrapped around her mug as she stared sightlessly ahead of her. At her grandmother's words, she seemed to be considering something, but apparently decided against it. Instead she just shrugged.

"No."

"Is Ruby alright?"

"Yes. She wasn't at all fazed."

"And are you OK?"

"I'm fine."

"Katy?"

"Honestly, Gran, I'm absolutely fine."

"Right… and the shirt?"

Glancing down, Katy realised that the top few buttons of her shirt – the ones that had come loose when Dean had pawed at them – had fallen open and revealed the ripped lace beneath. She set her jaw, raising her eyes and meeting Glenda's resolutely.

"It's nothing."

"I'm just concerned for you, my darling." Glenda told her softly, reaching out and tucking a strand of blonde hair behind the younger woman's ear. "I'm worried about you and what's happening… what's happened…"

"I told you, I'm fine and it's nothing."

"Please don't shut me out." Glenda requested. "You wouldn't shut your mother out."

"_Veronica's_ not here, is she?" Katy pointed out harshly. "Just… don't ask questions, OK, Gran? I don't want you involved… for your own good."

Putting the mug down, harder than she'd intended, Katy stalked out of the kitchen. She smiled at the children as she strode through the living room and out into the hallway, only pausing briefly to grab her jacket before leaving the flat. On the doorstep she closed her eyes tightly and took several steadying breaths, before biting the bullet and selecting a number from her contact list.

"I need your help."


	22. Chapter 22

"Well, well, well… this is a surprise."

Katy sighed in frustration; angry with herself for the situation she'd found herself in. _Desperate times call for desperate measures_, she repeated in her head, glaring at the young man sitting across from her.

"Shut up, Ben."

He grinned even more broadly, running his index finger around the rim of his mug. Katy had found herself in the café on Victoria Road for the second time in as many days, sitting opposite her cousin and steeling herself to ask him for help over the most pressing situation she had found herself in.

"No, seriously, though this is a complete surprise." He continued, clearly thoroughly enjoying himself. "You've done your best to pretend you don't know me since I got back and now you're here asking me for help."

"You're literally the last person I wanted to come to, but you're also the only one I could drag into this mess without feeling guilty."

"That warms my heart." He replied mockingly, putting his hand on his chest.

"Piss off, Ben."

"I thought you wanted my help."

Katy clenched her jaw. "Right…"

"So, what is it?" He leant back in his chair, smirking at her. "Something dodgy, I'm guessing?"

"You got your motor?"

He nodded and she stood up, motioning for him to follow her. Ben's interest was piqued by her behaviour and he followed without question, taking the lead until they reached the car. Katy climbed into the passenger's seat and waited until Ben was inside and the doors were closed. Then she turned to look at him seriously.

"Nathan Parry's brother turned up asking questions. He took Ruby."

Ben's face clouded over at that news. "He fucking what?"

"I got her back, don't worry." She assured him quickly. "But things got a bit…" Her eyes darted around the car, avoiding making eye contact and suddenly she wished she'd changed out of her ripped clothing. "He attacked me."

Her cousin's eyes dropped to the shirt and he clenched his fists. "Katy… did he _rape_ you?"

"No." She shook her head vehemently. "But he tried. I killed him."

"Just like his brother. Good riddance." Ben snarled.

"That's just it. I need your help to get rid of him."

"Where is he?"

"I left him in the house where he took Ruby." Katy told him. "16, Kempley Road."

Immediately Ben started the engine and took off down the street with a roar. Katy leant back against the leather, breathing deeply. She was starting to wonder whether she had some kind of label on her; Nathan, Dean… none of her _relationships_ had been particularly healthy. Tyler was the exception, obviously, but even that had been bumpy, although Katy knew most of the troubles they'd faced had been down to her.

Before she knew it, Ben had parked up and was looking at her expectantly. Katy glanced out of the window and read the street sign, feeling her stomach churning dangerously. She nodded firmly, before climbing out and starting to walk along the pavement.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine, Ben." She snapped. "Can we just get this done, please?"

"What's your plan, exactly?"

Katy stopped. She hadn't really thought about that. Seeing the expression on her face, Ben exhaled sharply. As he opened his mouth to say something, she scowled and held up a hand.

"I'm not new to this, Ben. I just hadn't thought…" She nodded towards the door. "Let's just get inside, right?"

"How are we gonna do that?"

Katy reached into her pocket and retrieved a set of keys, shaking them at him. "Swiped these earlier."

Ben grinned, taking them from her hand and striding up the path. He didn't even falter in his step as she unlocked the door and pushed it open, waiting for Katy to go in first before shutting it firmly. She led the way into the living room, feeling a perverse sense of amusement as Ben paled a little at the body on the floor.

"We need to get him into your car."

"We what?" Ben frowned at her. "No way!"

"Are there any cars at the Arches that can be taken to the crusher?"

"What?"

"Ben, come on! How do you think I got rid of Nathan or Carl White?"

"Katy…"

She huffed. "What? You're going soft on me now, are you?"

"Course not. I'm surprised by your balls, that's all."

"They're bigger than yours, that's for sure." She muttered, before arching an eyebrow at him. "Besides, that's not much of a compliment from someone who set up his own sister to be kidnapped by human traffickers."

"I never meant that to happen, you know that."

"Whatever." She shrugged. "Lou's back, safe and sound. That's all that matters. So… car?"

He shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. Yeah, I can sort it."

"Good… let's just get him out of here, right?"

"How are we gonna do that without anyone noticing?"

Katy rolled her eyes. "For god's sake, Ben… just help me, will you?"

Together they heaved Dean to his feet, Ben complaining the whole time. As he supported him, muttering about the weight, Katy covered the worst of the damage; enough that no one would notice anything out of the ordinary if they spotted them carrying him to the car.

"You sure this is gonna work?" Ben muttered as they manoeuvred through the door.

Katy pulled it shut behind them, nodding her head towards the car. "It won't if you keep making a fuss. Just get him in the back seat, alright?"

Her cousin scowled at her, but did as she ordered. As soon as Dean's body was slumped in the back, Katy tugged the seat belt around him and secured it in place. With his hood up, he wouldn't catch anyone's eye.

"Right… here's what we do now." She muttered as she settled herself in the passenger seat. "We need to take this car somewhere quiet and then go and get the crusher car from the Arches."

"Right so…?"

"Two options. You take this car and I go back to the Square or the other way round."

"I ain't staying with him."

"Wimp." She muttered, rolling her eyes. "Fine. You get the tube back to the Square, then. I'll stay with this one."

"You alright with that?" Ben asked, looking unconvinced.

"Not really, no," Katy snapped in response, "but it's better than the alternative, init?"

Muttering under his breath, Ben held out the car keys and ordered her to be careful with his car. She rolled her eyes again, promising that she wouldn't drive it into any walls. He scowled, clenching his jaw at her blatant ridicule.

"I don't have to help you, you know." He reminded her angrily. "What's to stop me going to the police?"

"Yeah? Because you're such a massive fan of them, ain't ya? Go on, then. Go to the police. I'm sure you'll love them swarming all over everything. I haven't got a single doubt that you've got all of your fingers in distinctly illegal pies." They stared at each other for a couple of moments and then Katy smirked. "Besides, I know that I'm your favourite, especially seeing as I'm the only one who sees through your _complete_ bullshit and scheming."

"Life would be pretty boring without you around."

Katy sent him a smirk. "So, we cool?"

Ben nodded. "I'll head back to the Square and phone you when I've got a car, OK?"

"Yeah… I'll get this one out of sight for a while."

"In a bit, then."

With that, Ben climbed out of the car and started off down the street. Katy watched until he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, before sliding across into the driver's seat and starting the engine.

* * *

The wait for Ben to return had been excruciating. Katy had driven to an industrial estate and parked up by a disused warehouse to wait for him to call. Finally, though, the call had come through and Katy had told her cousin where she was.

He arrived about twenty minutes later and they transferred Dean into the boot of the crusher car. Ben stared at her as she calmly folded him into the small space, slamming it down and turning to look at him with cold detachment.

"Which car d'you want to drive?"

"I'll take mine."

She nodded once, before holding out his keys. "See you there, then."

Ben hesitated as Katy moved to the driver's door and yanked it open. She didn't look back, putting the key into the ignition and kicking the engine into life. The young man didn't move until she was driving away, suddenly jolting back to the moment and moving round to the door of his own car.

The man at the yard gate barely spared them a second glance, waving Katy through as soon as she gave him a name. Ben had parked up outside and sauntered towards her with his hands pushed into his pockets as she spoke to the crane operative. He joined them just as Katy was tucking a couple of twenty-pound notes into the man's shirt pocket, a coquettish smile on her face as she did so.

"You wanna tone it down a bit?" Ben muttered as the man headed away with his clipboard, motioning to his colleagues that Katy's car was next in the queue.

"Why? Don't see him complaining, do you?"

He shot her a look, but said nothing more. They stood together, waiting as the men manoeuvred the car into position. The young man Katy had spoken to sent her a thumbs up, signalling that they were ready and she smiled and nodded at him.

The crane swung round, the claws biting into the metal and glass, forcing the roof to crumple in on itself as it gained a firm grip. The car swung upwards, moving towards the crusher until it was dropped into place. The walls of the machine moved inwards and the crunching, grinding, screeching sound filled the air as the car was slowly turned into a compacted cube of metal.

"That's that." Katy said, turning to look at her cousin expressionlessly. "Let's go."

Ben nodded wordlessly and followed her out of the yard. Katy nodded at the man on the gate as they passed, not saying anything to him as they walked through and out onto the road. Ben unlocked the car and they slid in, securing themselves in place before either of them spoke again.

"You owe me big time for this."

Katy shot her cousin a sideways look. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

"Jay told me you've considered changing your name and the kids names."

"I'm gonna fucking kill him."

"That's a lot more of a threat now." Ben told her with a smirk.

Katy snorted with amusement, before shaking her head. "He shouldn't have told you that."

"You can't change your name, Katy. You're far more of a Mitchell than most of them lot back in the Square are. It's who you are."

"That's such a comforting thing to hear." She muttered sarcastically.

"We're family." Ben reminded her, more gently than she'd heard him speak in a very long time. "Family sticks together, whatever happens."

"We stick together, no matter what." Katy wrinkled her nose. "Even if you are being an annoying little spoilt brat."

He laughed. "You can talk, Princess Katy."

"Oi, don't forget which one of us has a life threatening illness."

"This is nice, init? We're bonding."

Katy started laughing, an almost hysterical cackle that she couldn't stop. Catching Ben's eyes, she laughed even harder and he joined in. Soon both of them were wiping their eyes and holding their sides.

"Bonding over crushing the body of someone I killed?" Katy shook her head. "God, we need some different hobbies."

"You shouldn't have gone there on your own." Ben told her, suddenly serious. "I'd have come with you, if you'd asked."

"I wasn't planning on bumping him off. I was gonna give him the money."

"It don't matter. You still shouldn't have gone."

"Ruby's my daughter, Ben. I'd kill a thousand times over for her."

"I get that."

"They'll obviously have questions for us." Katy said, shrugging and looking out of the window. She didn't need to elaborate on who she meant. "I think we should say we went looking for him, to get the money back, but couldn't find him. That he'd done a bunk."

"I can definitely convince them that I was in the mood to kick his head in." He agreed. "Where is the money?"

"Like I'd tell you."

Ben looked pensive for a moment, before shrugging. "We should get back to the Square. "I've got a bit of business to deal with."

"Life goes on, eh?"

He grinned. "Like nothing even happened."


	23. Chapter 23

Katy took the children to school on Monday morning, before asking to see the headmaster. She apologised for her behaviour on Friday, saying that it had been a complete misunderstanding. She told him that her cousin's boyfriend had tried to help by picking Ruby up, but had unfortunately forgotten to tell anyone. The headmaster had looked dubious, but accepted her apology without any more questions. As Ruby was back in school and perfectly happy, he was willing to say no more about it; especially after the Amy incident the week before.

Leaving Walford Primary, Katy headed to the R&R for the first time since she'd found her daughter, knowing that she would probably have to phone her accountant and deal with that particular problem. Jeff, however, had nothing new to tell her about the situation. Apart from telling her that the account the money had come from was in a Spanish bank, he couldn't give her any more information.

On hearing the name of the bank, Katy had come to the conclusion that it was one of the accounts her mother and Roxy had set up when they were considering buying another business in Ibiza. The fact that the money had appeared in her bank account, however, was something that was puzzling her. She hadn't been in contact with the Belans since she'd left Ibiza and they were the only people who could possibly have completed the transaction. Katy knew that her mother and aunt had trusted Carlos enough to allow him access to their account in order to carry out any business that needed completing in their absence.

It took her a couple of days to pluck up the courage, but Katy finally decided that she needed to know, one way or another. She picked up her mobile and found the man's number. Only hesitating for a moment or two, she pressed the button and held the handset to her ear. The international dialling tone met her and she chewed her lip, waiting nervously for a voice on the other end.

"Hola?"

"Hola, Carlos. Es Katy Mitchell. ¿Cómo estás?"

"Katy!" The man sounded genuinely pleased to hear from her. "It's been a while. How are you?"

"I'm good, Carlos, thanks." She smiled. The sound of his voice reminded her of happier times. "I've got a bit of a strange question for you."

Carlos laughed. "It wouldn't be the first time. How can I help?"

"A sum of money was deposited into the bank account of my newly opened bar, here in Walford. I think it's come from Mum and Aunty Rox's Ibiza account… would you know anything about it?"

There was an odd silence for a moment, before the man cleared his throat. "I believe they set up a contingency plan for their account here, should anything happen to them. I cannot tell you how that money ended up in your business' account. Perhaps Ritchie Scott would have some idea?"

"Mmmm…" Katy wasn't entirely convinced by his explanation, but she guessed that she wouldn't get anything more from him. "How's Daniel? How're your other kids?"

"They're well, thank you." Carlos was clearly much happier on the new topic of conversation. The enthusiasm shone through in his tone. "I have seventeen grandchildren, now."

Katy almost swore down the phone, quickly recovering and letting out a surprised laugh instead. The idea that Sophie and Jessica had seventeen cousins was mind-blowing. "Wow, congratulations. I bet you're busy."

"I am. Daniel's getting married in the summer."

"That's great… tell him congratulations from me."

"I will." He promised. "I'd better go. It was good to speak to you, Katy."

"Yeah, you too. Adios."

Katy hung up, still not entirely convinced that he had been telling her the whole truth. She could believe that Ronnie and Roxy had thought about what would happen to the money in their account if anything were to happen to them, but she didn't believe for a second that it had magically found its way to the R&R account. There was no way that was possible. She doubted that Ritchie Scott would be able to spill any light on the matter, either.

A light knock on the office door drew her out of her thoughts and she glanced up. She smiled warmly as Whitney appeared in the gap, ignoring the questioning look on her face as she moved more fully into the office.

"You're quiet this morning. You alright?" Whitney asked, tilting her head and assessing her best friend closely. "Something happened?"

"Tired, that's all." Katy told her, forcing herself to smile. "And, you know, not looking forward to Aunty Peg's anniversary."

"You gonna take flowers to the grave?"

Katy shrugged. "I guess so. Might do summit here, too. Two for one drinks in her honour or something. She'd have approved of that."

"Yeah, she would."

"I know it's tomorrow, but I'm sure Ruby can sort something quick by then."

"Yeah…"

"What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing." Whitney smiled, doing her best to appear innocent, but Katy wasn't fooled for a second.

"Come on, tell me? I'm supposed to be your best mate, ain't I?"

"It's just… I saw Amy on Bridge Street with Mel the other day."

Katy frowned, sitting up straighter in her chair. "What? Why?"

"I dunno. I thought it was weird which is why I'm telling you."

"When did you see them?"

"The day before yesterday, maybe?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was a bit distracted by Callum's medical for the army."

"Oh, yeah, right…"

Katy furrowed her eyebrows as she considered what Whitney had said. She was still deep in thought when her friend asked a question, totally missing what the younger woman had said. When Whitney asked again, she almost jumped.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Katy shrugged. "What did you say?"

"I just asked whether you've found out what the accountant wanted yet?"

"Oh, that… yeah, it was nothing." The blonde dismissed it with a shrug. "So, can you do me a favour and ask Ruby about a promotion here tomorrow?"

Whitney shook her head. "Nah, babe, sorry. I've gotta go. I said I'd cover a shift for Shirley at the Vic."

"Oh, right, OK…" Katy smiled and nodded. "No problem. I'll call her now."

She looked down, busying herself with something on her laptop until Whitney left. Once the door closed, Katy leant back in her chair and chewed her lip, thinking hard. She didn't really want to speak to her events manager, let alone think about the reason she needed to in the first place. Instead, she opened up the family chat and sent a message inviting everyone to the bar the following day for drinks in Peggy's honour.

* * *

Glenda watched as Katy excused herself from the family gathering at the bar and disappeared into her office. No one else seemed to have noticed her vanishing, too caught up in reminiscing about Peggy to be aware of the blonde heading up the stairs.

Excusing herself, rolling her eyes as no one even acknowledged her words, the older woman hurried after her granddaughter. Katy was frowning at the screen of her computer, typing furiously without even glancing at the keyboard.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Katy glanced up guiltily, apparently startled at her sudden presence in the room. "Nothing."

"So… what's with the face, then?"

"What face? This is just my face."

Glenda rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. I know when something's bothering you."

"Just… business stuff, OK?" Her granddaughter tried to placate her. "The bar's not doing so great… I'm hoping it'll pick up as we go into the summer. I'm gonna get Ruby onto some promotions to bring people in and I've been chatting to Tina about maybe doing some LGBT nights. She was saying that there isn't anything around here and so I thought, why not."

Watching her closely for a moment, Glenda shook her head. "That's not it. Something's happened; something that's got you worried."

"I promise you, nothing's happened." Katy lied, shaking her head firmly. "Look… I need to get on, Gran. I've got stuff to sort."

"Darling, listen–"

"Please, Gran."

Sighing dramatically, the older woman nodded. She walked towards the door, pausing with her hand on the handle. "Dinner's at six, alright?"

"I'll be there." Katy promised, smiling weakly at her.

"Make sure you are."

The tone of her voice left her granddaughter in no doubt that if she wasn't home by six Glenda would come looking for her. She watched the older woman leave, before putting her head in her hands and exhaling sharply.

The email in front of her required her attention, however, so she composed herself and re-read it quickly. Ritchie Scott hadn't been able to tell her anything much about the account the money she'd received had come from, other than the fact that her hunch was correct and it had belonged to her mum and aunt. The solicitor hadn't been able to get much sense out of the bank, let alone anyone else.

Ritchie had then advised Katy to leave the money in a separate account and not even think about touching it at all until they worked out what to do for the best. Her questions about whether there was anything she should know about had set the young woman on edge and she had forced her actions at the crusher yard to the back of her mind, wary about something coming to light.

Finishing the email, informing her accountant of her intentions regarding he money, Katy picked up her phone and shook her head in amusement at the notifications for the conversation thread on the screen. Tina was incredibly excited at the prospect of a gay bar on the Square and taking her role as consultant incredibly seriously. Ever since they'd started discussing the possibility of doing something, she had been inundating Katy with ideas and suggestions.

Laughing out loud at her latest, totally ridiculous, suggestion for a name (Rough and Ready at the R&R), Katy shook her head and locked the screen without replying. She hadn't been lying when she'd told Glenda that business was tough. After the initial surge of interest in the bar, takings had been consistently down for the past few weeks. With everything else that was going on, Katy's eye hadn't been on the ball and now she was worried that she was about to fail. She couldn't bear the thought of having to shut the bar, not to mention facing everyone if her business folded.

Her mobile vibrated against her desk, making her jump and bringing her out of her reverie. Reading the message from Tyler, telling her he needed to speak to her, Katy rolled her eyes and locked it again. She had far too much to think about without her ex-boyfriend adding to her problems.

Seeing that it was almost six, Katy locked her computer and headed out of the office. She was relieved to see that most of her family had dispersed, telling the bar staff that she'd be back in an hour or so. Glenda beamed at her as she let herself into the flat, not saying anything as Sophie and Matthew immediately threw themselves at her, asking whether they could go to the park with Jack the following day.

Katy shrugged, dropping into her seat at the table and agreeing. She smiled up at her grandmother as she placed a plate of lasagne in front of her, not realising how hungry she had been until that moment. They ate quickly, talking and laughing loudly. Katy watched them fondly, leaning back in her chair and simply surveying them. Glenda eyed her granddaughter over her wine glass, still not convinced by her explanation of her strange mood.

"Gran, stop it." Katy warned her, keeping her tone light so that the children didn't pick up on anything.

"Stop what, my darling?" Glenda replied innocently.

"You know what."

"What's going on?" Ruby demanded, looking between them.

"Absolutely nothing, sweetie." Katy promised her. "Are you looking forward to half term?"

"Yeah." The seven-year-old nodded, already having forgotten the tension. "But I'm worried."

"About what?"

"We still don't know what the school play is."

Katy laughed at her daughter's concern. Ruby had been talking about the play for weeks, although she knew that the speaking parts would all be going to the older children. If she was lucky she'd have a group part – a shopper or crowd member – but more likely she'd just be in the chorus. Amy had wound her niece up by announcing that her teacher had promised that she could have a proper part this year, even though she was only in year five.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart." Katy told her calmly. "You'll be amazing, whatever you are."

"Will you come and see it?"

"Of course I will." Her mother promised.

"You won't be working?"

"I'll take time off especially."

"And I'll make sure she does." Glenda announced, raising her wine glass in Ruby's direction in some sort of salute.

Apparently convinced, the seven-year-old nodded approvingly and returned her attention back to her dinner. Katy narrowed her eyes at her grandmother, irritated further when Glenda simply smiled smugly and took a sip of her wine.


	24. Chapter 24

"I suppose it's a good thing that Tyler's getting married in the summer." Whitney mused, not looking up from the bottles around her on the floor. "At least you don't have to pull the kids out of school for it."

There was a smashing sound as the bottle of vodka slipped from Katy's hand and hit the floor. "Summer? _This_ summer?"

"You didn't know." The tone of the younger woman's voice told Katy that she wasn't surprised. Whitney sighed. "They're getting married in August."

"Why? She's not up the duff, is she?" Katy laughed mirthlessly. At Whitney's silence, she got her answer. "Oh… she is."

"Babe…"

"It's fine."

"Are you gonna go?"

"No, of course I'm not." The blonde scoffed, looking as though it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. "Even if I was remotely interested, there's far too much going on here for me to just go to Spain." She shook her head, stooping and beginning to pick up shards of the glass bottle she'd smashed. "Eddie's coming over to collect the kids; not sure when yet, but he'll let me know. I thought I'd have a bit more notice, that's all."

"Katy…"

"I said it's fine." She snapped, straightening and storming off in the direction of the kitchen.

Stamping on the pedal of the bin, she threw the glass into it, before pushing through the fire exit and heading out onto the street. Leaning heavily against the wall, Katy banged her head against the brickwork several times, exhaling deeply and running her hands through her hair.

Tyler had wanted a baby while they'd been together and so, before she'd got ill, they'd been trying for one. When they were unsuccessful, Katy had assumed that it was a problem on his side, considering she already had the girls. Now, though, her assumption appeared to have been totally wrong.

"Katy, you alright?"

Katy glanced up at the sound of her cousin's voice. Seeing Billy looking at her sympathetically, she felt the tears welling up in her eyes and leant her head back against the wall again. As the first tears began to fall, she let out a soft sob and Billy pulled her into a tight hug. Katy crumpled against him, fisting her hands into the back of his jacket and burying her face into his collar.

After five minutes or so, Billy gently pulled away, ducking his head to look into her face. "Please don't tell me you're crying over Tyler Moon." When Katy scrubbed at her eyes and didn't reply, he sighed deeply. "That doughnut don't deserve your tears."

She snorted with laughter at his words, turning incredulous eyes on him. "Doughnut?"

"I heard that he's getting married in the summer."

"Oh, so everyone knew except me, then."

"I didn't mean…"

"I know, Bill." She smiled weakly. Then she forced herself up to stand straighter, pulling herself together. "How's Will?"

"He's doing better, thanks. Just keeping him calm and resting."

"Good, I'm glad he's OK. And I'm sorry about Honey… for the record, I think she's an idiot for picking the dentist over you."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well…"

"Honestly, Billy. I think she's made the wrong choice."

"Thanks, Katy."

"We're family, ain't we?" She reminded him with a smile. "Even if you are a prat most of the time."

He laughed, the sting taken out of her words by the chuckle that accompanied them. "Thanks. You coming to this picnic Mick's organised tomorrow?"

"I'm not really sure that football is the girls' thing." Katy replied, laughing again. "Actually, scratch that. I'm not sure that I should unleash Jess on the other kids."

"Bring them along; it'll be fun. It'll do you good to get away from work and forget for a while, too."

"I'll think about it."

Squeezing her arm, Billy smiled and walked away. His shoulders dropped after a couple of steps, when he obviously thought his cousin had stopped watching. Katy sighed, wondering whether bad luck in relationships was unavoidable if your surname was Mitchell.

"Hey, Katy?" She glanced up as her father stormed towards her, looking irritated. "Have a word with Amy, would ya?"

"What about?"

"Her obsession with Mel."

"Eh?"

"She's calling her Aunty Mel and everything. Ever since this whole… you know…"

"What, her starting her period, you mean?" His daughter asked, arching an eyebrow. "It's perfectly natural, Dad."

"Yeah, I know that." He replied defensively. "Yeah, well, ever since Mel helped her out, she's been going on about her nonstop. It's getting awkward."

"Right, fine, I'll speak to her." Katy sighed. "Thanks for telling me about that, by the way. I had to find out from Whit."

"You ain't exactly easy to get hold of." Jack pointed out, raising an eyebrow at her. "You ain't even answering your phone."

"I'm busy, Dad." She sighed. "I'm sorry, OK. I'll… I'll try and do something with her later."

"She's still annoyed that you blew her off and she had to go and get her nails done with me."

"Yeah, I heard about that… Tina said the colour really suited you."

"Shut up." He rolled his eyes. "You promised her you'd be there for her, so step up, right?"

As he strode away, she shook her head, swearing softly under her breath. She felt guilty for backing out of taking Amy to get her nails done, but she'd had a meeting with a supplier that she couldn't rearrange. Deciding that she'd treat her sister like a grown up, she sent her a text, asking her to come to the office when she got a chance. Amy had replied immediately, saying that she'd be there in ten minutes.

Smiling to herself, she wondered who would be dropping the ten-year-old off at the bar, before wandering inside and back up to her office. Whitney sent her a fleeting smile, knowing better than to mention her storming out.

Katy settled herself behind her desk, waiting for the telltale knock on the door. It never came, however, as Amy simply barged in and dropped onto the sofa, looking expectantly at her older sister.

"You said you wanted to work here," Katy said with a shrug, "so today's your first day."

A small spread slowly over her sister's face. "Really?"

"Uh-huh." The older blonde nodded. "I can't let you near alcohol for the next eight years, but I can find plenty for you to do instead."

"Wait… are you gonna make me clean stuff?"

Katy laughed. "There may be a bit of cleaning, possibly some glass collecting? How do you feel about beer mats?"

"I don't have any strong feelings…"

Laughing again, Katy stood and wrapped an arm around Amy's shoulders, pulling her into a hug. Feeling the younger blonde's arms wrapping around her waist in response, Katy rested her chin on the top of her sister's head and sighed.

"I'm sorry I've been a bit crap lately." She apologised softly.

"Yeah, you have."

"But surely you know that you could have come to me if you needed me?"

"Yeah…"

"So, why didn't you, sweetie?" Katy asked, genuinely perplexed over the situation. "You know I would have sorted everything out."

"Dad and Granny said that me and Ricky shouldn't bother you." Amy explained with a small shrug. "They said that you have lots to do and that you needed to get better properly."

"You listen to me, Amy Christina Mitchell." The older blonde leant closer, fixing her with a stern gaze. "I'm your sister, alright? I'm never, ever going to be too ill or too busy to look out for you. I love you and I will do whatever I have to so that I can make sure you're safe and you're happy and you have everything you need. D'you understand?"

Amy nodded. "I understand."

"Good." Katy nodded firmly. "You make sure Ricky knows too, alright?"

"Alright."

"Next time, you come to me, babe, yeah? For anything."

"Aunty Mel was really nice about it."

Katy wrinkled her nose. "I'm sure she was, but she ain't family, is she?"

Amy shrugged. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"Fancy learning how to use the tills?"

"Yes!"

Grinning, Katy led her out of the office and over to the upstairs bar. She explained the basics, before letting her younger sister have a go. When they opened up for lunch, Katy took Amy downstairs so that she could help out. Glenda and Kathy appeared, grinning as the ten-year-old carefully imputed their order into the till and held out her hand for the payment.

Arching an eyebrow, Glenda waved her card and her granddaughter. Amy huffed petulantly as Katy set up the machine and pushed it across the bar towards the older blonde. She nodded her head towards the card machine and Amy dutifully removed the card and ripped off the receipt, before handing it back to Glenda.

"You planning on taking over from Katy, are you?" Kathy asked Amy with a chuckle.

"Yeah, sooner rather than later, I think." The older of the two sisters said, nudging the younger with her hip.

"She's paying me twenty quid an hour to help out." Amy informed her cheekily.

"Oi!" Katy laughed. "She definitely is not. D'you wanna bankrupt me single handed or what?"

They chatted for a couple of minutes, before Katy's ringing mobile interrupted them. After a quick glance at the display, she announced that she needed to take it and told Amy to go and sit with the older women and have some lunch. They frowned at her curiously as she hurried back up to her office, already talking into her phone in a low voice.

"Jeff?"

"More money in your account." He told her without preamble. "It was picked up by my associate, who asked whether he should transfer it to the same account as the last payment."

"How much?"

"Another ten."

"Fuck."

"Ritchie able to shed any light on the matter?"

Katy shook her head, closing her office door firmly behind her. "Nothing. She has no idea about the account it's coming from and neither does my contact in Ibiza. Well, he's not admitting he knows anything about the transfer, anyway. He said my Mum had a contingency plan for their business account, but seeing as it's only been open for a couple of months and they've been dead for a couple of years…"

"I'll keep an eye on the situation. If any more money comes in…?"

"Put it in the separate account until we can work out where it's coming from." Katy sighed. "God knows I could do with that money the way things are at the moment, but it's too much of a risk."

Ending the call, she put her head in her hands and thought about the situation. Thirty-five thousand pounds wasn't an amount that could be dismissed easily. She hadn't been exaggerating; the money would come in extremely handy, but it was far too much of a risk to touch it at the moment.

Katy briefly considered what she'd do if it turned out that one of her cousins was using her account to launder dodgy money, before her mind wandered to Ben. She let her eyes slip closed as she remembered his involvement in her latest situation, wondering how long it would be before he demanded something from her to keep his silence. If the timings hadn't been slightly out, she would have thought that he was behind the money.

Knowing that if she didn't reappear soon, Glenda would come looking for her, Katy painted a smile on her face and headed back down the stairs. She waved off their concern over the phone call by telling a half truth; that her accountant had called with a couple of questions about the accounts, before motioning for Amy to follow her back towards the bar. Pointedly ignoring the curious looks that her grandmother was still sending her, Katy explained the ordering system to her sister and set her off taking stock of the bottles in the fridge.

"Can I work here all holiday?" Amy asked as she waited for Katy to check over what she'd done a little while later.

Her sister glanced up, sending her an amused smirk. "I'm pretty sure there are laws against child labour, sweetie. In fact, I'd probably get into trouble for having you here, now. Besides, don't you want to enjoy your week off?"

"I'd rather hang out with you."

Sighing, Katy put the clipboard on the bar and pulled her sister into a tight hug. She pressed a lingering kiss to the top of Amy's head and let her eyes slip closed.

"I love hanging out with you too, sweetheart. But don't grow up too quick, yeah? Enjoy being a kid while you can. Trust me, you become an adult far too soon."

Amy rolled her eyes, pulling away and picking up the clipboard once more. "God, you're embarrassing."

She shot her sister a grin, assuring Katy that she was just joking, before announcing that she was going to do a stock take of the upstairs bar. Nodding at Jenny, one of her barmaids, as she silently asked whether Katy wanted her to follow the ten-year-old, the blonde leant against the bar and watched her disappearing from sight. She wished she could get Amy to understand that Katy was just trying to protect her, but knew that they were too similar for the younger Mitchell's own good.


	25. Chapter 25

"Katy!" The young woman forced a smile onto her face at Linda's cheery greeting. "It's so good to see you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Linda, thanks." She replied as calmly as she could, while keeping one eye on her children who were tearing around the park with the others. "How're you? I haven't been in the Vic for ages."

"Well, you're busy over at the R&R."

"I feel like I barely leave the place." Katy agreed with a chuckle. She glanced over to where Bailey was dejectedly kicking at the grass, not really listening to what Ruby was saying to her. "How's she holding up, poor kid?"

Linda sighed deeply and shook her head. "She's not saying much, I don't think. Mitch was hoping that today would take her mind off things."

"It'll take a damn sight more than a picnic to do that." The younger woman said softly. "I'll ask Amy to talk to her. At least she knows how Bailey will be feeling losing her mum so young."

They continued to watch as the children, apart from the one they'd been discussing, laughed and messed around with the football. Linda huffed exasperatedly as Dennis teased the younger children, requesting that he gave the ball back. Katy had snorted with amusement when Karen likened him to the child from _The Omen_, not correcting her, even when Linda half-heartedly rose to his defence.

"You alright, darlin'?" Jack asked, dropping onto the picnic bench beside his daughter and looping his arm around her shoulders. "You're not playing, are you?"

"I think I can handle a kick about, Dad." She replied, rolling her eyes. "But no, I'll give it a miss today. Where's Amy?"

"She was _not_ up for footy." He laughed at the prospect. "She's round at a mate's house."

"D'you reckon she should have a chat with Bailey? I mean… she lost Roxy so young, maybe she'll be able to say something to comfort her a little bit? I'd speak to her, but I don't think it would have anywhere near the same affect as if Amy did."

"I'll see what Mitch thinks before I suggest it to Amy." Jack mused, glancing towards the other man. "I don't wanna overstep, you know?"

"Yeah…"

"By the way, you do know you can't give Amy a job at the R&R, right?"

"Of course I know that." His daughter rolled her eyes again. "She's ten. She wanted to help out and spend some time with me, that's all. I bunged her a tenner because she did a damn good job of checking the stock for me."

"Yeah, well, she won't stop talking about how she's gonna work there as soon as she can."

"At least I'd be able to keep an eye on her." Katy pointed out with a grin.

Jack let out a disgruntled sound, before wandering off to join Mitch and Mick, leaving Katy with Linda and Karen. They shot her a sympathetic look, which made her internally groan, before wandering over to speak to Honey. She had waited until Adam had disappeared for a minute before making her move.

"Billy says Will's doing OK, now." She started, smiling warmly at the older woman. "I'm really glad to hear that. It must have been terrifying."

"It was." Honey agreed, fear passing through her eyes at the memory of her son's accident.

"I hear you're moving in with the dentist."

"Katy, don't start." The brunette warned her, looking exasperated. "It's sweet that you're looking out for Billy, but–"

"I get it." She shrugged, glancing towards her cousin and watching as he attempted, and failed, to keep control of the football. "He's a prat."

"Well, I wouldn't quite–"

"I love Billy, course I do; he's my cousin. But honestly, I despair of him sometimes." Katy continued, watching Honey out of the corner of her eye. "He's totally useless."

"He's not! He's a wonderful dad and he's kind and…" Honey blurted, before catching herself. "He's not _totally_ useless."

"OK."

With a shrug, Katy smiled innocently at her and wandered away. She pulled out her phone, smiling at Whitney's message about the flat she and Callum were in the process of moving into. Laughing, Katy text back quickly, assuring her friend that she would not be offering to help them redecorate, however hideous the wallpaper was.

When Dennis' cry attracted everyone's attention and Mitch demanded an explanation for the rapidly forming bruise on the boy's eye, Katy's heart sank. Jessica and Matthew were looking extremely guilty, their eyes fixed firmly on the floor. When Bailey stepped forward to take the blame, Katy's eyes narrowed suspiciously. The guilty expressions had not disappeared from her daughter and brother's faces and the blonde guessed that there was something more to the situation than was initially obvious.

Waiting until Mitch had marched his daughter over to a free picnic table to wait while he packed up their things, Katy approached the two four-year-olds with a stern expression on her face. They immediately looked at each other, before doing their best to look innocent.

"We didn't do it." Matthew announced immediately.

His niece shot him a look. "We didn't, Mum… promise."

"Right… but what do you know?" Katy asked, arching an eyebrow and folding her arms. "Because I know there's something you're not telling me."

"It was Ollie." Matthew blurted.

"Matthew!"

Katy frowned. "What d'you mean, it was Ollie?"

"Dennis was being mean to all of us and then he felled over so Ollie kicked him." Jessica elaborated with a sigh. "I nearly did it too."

"God's sake…" The blonde ran a hand through her hair. "What have I told you?"

"But I didn't do it!" Her daughter defended herself. "It was Ollie."

"Yeah, alright. Just stay out of trouble or we're going home, OK?"

Wondering whether to inform the other parents of the truth, Katy watched Karen talking to Bailey. As the woman stood and made her way over to Mitch, she decided to keep the information to herself for the moment, guessing that they'd sort themselves out well enough without her interference.

Giving the children another half an hour or so, Katy started gathering their things. She said goodbye, attracting the twins, Matthew and Ruby's attention, before heading slowly in the direction of the Square. They skipped along beside her, chattering about the events of the day and asking whether they could do it again soon. Katy answered noncommittally, shooing them up the steps and into the house.

"Are you going back to work, Mum?"

"Nope," she shook her head, "I took the whole day off."

"Can we get pizza?"

"Can we watch a film?"

"Of course we can." Katy assured them, dumping the bags by the sofa and dropping onto it. Immediately the children clambered on top of her, laughing and jostling and trying to get the best position. "Except now I can't move, so…?"

It was shocking how quickly the four of them moved. Katy laughed as she moved to get the TV remote, throwing it carefully in Ruby's direction and heading into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Listening to them bickering, she smiled to herself and shook her head. Her mobile vibrated insistently in her pocket and she pulled it out, expecting it to be Whitney giving her another update on the flat.

"Ritchie?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at home with the kids." Katy frowned, leaning against one of the kitchen counters and glancing towards the doorway. "What's up?"

"Is there anyone who can have the children? I think we need to talk in person."

Telling Ritchie to meet her at the bar in half an hour, Katy ended the call. She winced as she thought about the children's reactions to hearing that she had to leave them and go into work when she'd just promised that she wasn't going to. Thinking for a moment, she called Lola and asked if she and Lexi could come over and watch the children.

"So… Aunty Lola's just phoned and asked if she could come over for a while with Lexi."

Immediately all plans for pizza and a film with their mother were forgotten. Smiling to herself, Katy gathered her bag and jacket and listened for the sound of the doorbell. Ruby watched her suspiciously, before sidling over and putting her hands on her hips, sending her mother a hard stare.

"Are you going to work?"

"Just for a bit while Aunty Lola's here."

"You promised."

"I know, angel, I'm sorry." Katy told her softly. "If they weren't coming over, I wouldn't. But there's something important I have to do. I'll be as quick as I can, I promise."

"You always promise."

Feeling terrible, Katy nodded, pulling her daughter into a tight hug. "I know…" Hearing the doorbell, she broke away and pressed a kiss to the top of Ruby's head. "Be good and I'll be back soon."

Thanking Lola for helping her out, Katy left the house and headed quickly towards Turpin Road. She headed up to the office, shaking her head and waving off the bar staff's questions about her presence there on her day off. Dropping into her chair, she turned the computer on and accessed the emails from the accountant, assuming that it was the money that she wanted to speak to her about.

She was on edge until she heard a firm knock on the door and rose to let Ritchie in. The older woman shot her a tight smile, before motioning towards the sofa and indicating that they should sit down. Closing the door firmly, Katy did as she suggested, her eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion.

"What's going on?"

"Have you been contacted by a Dean Parry?"

"Uhh…" Katy's blood turned to ice in her veins. "What?"

"It's a simple enough question, Katherine."

"Umm… yeah. He… he turned up here last month asking about Ruby and his brother. We told him that Ruby wasn't his niece and we hadn't seen Nathan for years and he left."

"We?"

"Dad and me."

"And that's the extent of the contact you had with him?"

"Yes."

"And his brother's whereabouts?"

"No idea. I haven't seen him since just after Ruby was born." Katy frowned. "What's all this about?"

"I received an email to say that he was planning on requesting a DNA test to prove whether Ruby was his brother's daughter."

"When?"

"A while ago now; I didn't think much of it, to be honest."

"Right…?"

"But I thought it was a little odd when I didn't hear anything else. He was so insistent in the email, calling you all the names under the sun and claiming that he'd take you to court if you didn't comply. It seems strange that he'd just drop it on your word that Ruby wasn't related to him."

Katy shrugged. "I dunno… maybe because Dad backed me up he thought better of it."

"There's nothing else you need to tell me?"

"Like what?"

"It seems a little strange that this would coincide with the money situation you're dealing with at the moment."

"Surely it would look stranger if the money had gone _out_ of my account, rather than into it?" Katy reasoned, arching an eyebrow at the solicitor.

"Perhaps… but the R&R is starting to struggle financially, isn't it?"

"Not that badly." The blonde defended her business quickly. "We're doing OK."

"Look, I'm not accusing you of anything, Katherine." Ritchie assured her, holding up her hands. "I'm just giving you a heads up. If there's anything you need to sort… sort it."

"There's nothing." Katy replied firmly. "I appreciate the warning, though."

Ritchie watched her for a moment, before nodding sharply and standing up. She smoothed down her skirt, before pausing and looking at the young woman thoughtfully. Katy was about to ask her what she was thinking, when she smiled tightly again and let herself out of the office.

Hesitating on the threshold, she glanced back over her shoulder. "You get more like Veronica every time we meet."

"Thanks."

"I'm not sure it was a compliment." The solicitor admitted. "I'll be in touch."


	26. Chapter 26

"Time to call in my favour."

Katy glanced up, arching an eyebrow at her cousin as he sauntered across the park towards her. She took her time retying Matthew's shoelace, kissing him on the head, before propelling him towards the girls. Waiting until he'd joined them, she turned and fixed Ben with a hard look.

"What favour?"

He chuckled, taking a seat opposite her at the picnic bench. "Oh, come on, Katy. You're not stupid. In fact, out of our lot, you probably have the most brains."

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"But seriously, K, you didn't think I'd help you out with your little problem and not ask for a favour in return?"

"Of course I didn't." She sighed, resolutely not looking at him. "I know you too well for that."

Ben laughed again. "We're the same, you and me."

Katy scowled. "We are _not_. I'm nothing like you."

"Whatever you say." He shrugged, his eyes on the children playing happily in the corner of the park. Then he shifted his gaze back to her, fixing her with a piercing glare. "Now, I think we can do each other a favour. I've heard you're having some money troubles at the R&R–"

"I am _not_ letting you anywhere near my business."

"I didn't think you would." He agreed with a smirk. "Nah, I weren't talking about me. I've got enough going on anyway. Mum needs a challenge; something she can get her teeth into."

"What?"

"She's just come into some money and she's looking for something to do with it. I think you should ask her to go into business with you."

"Why the _hell_ would I do that?"

"Because you need her money."

"No I–"

"Give it a rest, Katy. I know you do." Ben cut across her arguments, rolling his eyes. "You ask Mum to invest and I'll leave well alone. Otherwise I am going to be in your face at every opportunity."

Katy clenched her jaw, knowing that he was deadly serious. "Fine. But she ain't having a major share. It's my bar and I make the decisions, alright?"

"Sure, but do it soon and make sure she feels like she's doing something useful."

He grinned smugly at her as he stood and strolled away, waving at the children as he went. Katy ground her teeth, furious with the turn of events. She liked Kathy and didn't doubt that she'd have some useful advice. She also couldn't deny that a cash injection would be helpful, especially as there was money in an account that she couldn't touch at the moment.

"Come on, kids." She called, standing up and gathering their things. "Time to go."

"But you said–"

"I know, baby, I'm sorry." Katy apologised, tucking Ruby's hair behind her ear. "I've got something I need to do. I'll drop you at Grandad Jack's house, OK?"

Ruby sighed dramatically and nodded. "Fine."

Herding them out of the park and across the Square, Katy quickly apologised to Rainie about dropping the children off, before heading towards the Café. She had decided to ask Kathy straight away and get it over and done with. If the other woman turned her down, at least she could tell Ben she'd tried.

"Kath? You got a minute?" She asked, leaning against the counter and motioning towards the table in the corner.

Looking confused, the older blonde nodded and followed her across the room. Once they were settled at the table, Katy rested her elbows on the surface and looked at her carefully. Kathy was still looking confused, clearly having no idea what the other woman could possibly want to speak to her about.

"Is everything OK?" She asked, suddenly worried. It crossed her mind that there might be something bothering Katy that she couldn't speak to her grandmother about.

"Yeah, I just have an offer to make you."

"What kind of offer?"

"I'm going through bit of a tough time at the bar. I know you've got a bit of experience in the trade and I was wondering whether you would help me out a bit." She paused for a moment. "Look, to be totally honest with you, Ben told me that you'd come into a bit of money and were looking for a project to take on. How would you feel about investing in the R&R?"

Kathy blinked at her for a moment. "So you want my money."

"No! Well, I can't deny that it would be helpful, but I'd like your experience as well. Besides, I'd quite like to hand over some control to someone I trust. I need more time at home with the kids; I'd tired of breaking promises."

"What, exactly, are you proposing?"

"You buy into the R&R, I make you manager and we work together."

"Equal partners?" At the expression on Katy's face she laughed. "I didn't think so."

"I can't." The younger blonde told her softly, shaking her head. "I can't give up so much."

"OK… I can work with that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I know how hard you've worked and I don't want to take it away from you." Kathy said, reaching out and squeezing her hand across the table. "Besides, I think Glenda might kill me. Right, so… twenty-five percent?"

"I could live with that." Katy agreed, reaching out and shaking her outstretched hand. "I'll get Ritchie to draw up the paperwork."

"Excellent."

"So… I've been talking to Tina and she reckons there's massive scope for some sort of LGBT events. There isn't much around here that caters and she thinks we could make a fair amount."

"I'm in. I had a similar conversation with Ben this morning."

Katy thought for a moment, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to work out whether her cousin had planned the situation around that conversation or not. "Right…"

"Why don't we split the bar into upstairs and downstairs and dedicate one part to being a gay bar." Kathy suggested excitedly. "Surely that would be better than a few events every now and again?"

"That sounds kinda… segregationy…"

"We're not saying that it's gays only or straights only, are we?" The older woman reasoned. "But we can provide a dedicated space that's not already accessible."

Katy nodded. "OK, let's speak to Tina and see what she thinks of the idea. Maybe we should bring her on board as some sort of co-ordinator? It would be good to get her opinions on everything."

"Could we offer her a job; Assistant Manager or something?"

"I don't see why not." The younger blonde grinned. "I knew this would be a good idea."

"We should speak to Ben, too."

Immediately, Katy's smile dropped. "No. I don't want Ben involved."

"Why not? He's my son. My _gay_ son."

"I don't care, Kathy." Katy shook her head. "I don't trust him and I don't want him anywhere near my business, alright?"

"Alright, fine." Kathy agreed, not looking remotely happy about it. She glanced towards the counter where the brunette was watching them curiously. "Shall we tell Tina now?"

"Let's get the paperwork drawn up and finalised first. I'll get Ritchie to draw up Tina's contract at the same time."

"Are you gonna be able to afford two managerial wages? If necessary I can–"

"It should be fine." Katy cut across her, guessing that she was about to suggest that she didn't officially take on the role. It would make the younger woman much more comfortable if they knew where they were legally. "Whit's told me she's gonna quit to see whether she can make her own business work and Stacey handed in her notice too. Apparently there's too much going on at home at the moment. To be honest, having a manager and assistant manager is gonna be a massive help."

"OK. If you're sure." Kathy beamed, reaching out and squeezing the younger blonde's arm. "You get the paperwork drawn up and I'll sort the money."

"I'll speak to Ritchie and check how much twenty-five percent is worth and let you know straight away."

Nodding, Kathy practically skipped back to the counter, grinning and shrugging at Tina as she asked what had put her in such a good mood. Katy shook her head and pulled out her mobile to call the solicitor. Ritchie answered immediately, evidently thinking something was wrong. She was intrigued as Katy explained the plan, looking at the figures and telling her the number to put to Kathy. Ritchie promised to get the paperwork drawn up and dropped off by the next day, guessing that her client was as impatient to get the deal done as she usually was for everything else.

As she passed the counter, the young woman passed on the amount, earning a swift nod from Kathy and a confused frown from Tina. The brunette's frown deepened as Katy winked at her and swept out of the café without a backwards glance.

* * *

Ritchie had been as good as her word and the next afternoon Katy and Kathy met at the R&R to do the deal. Jeff confirmed that the money had been transferred into Katy's private account, before she slid the papers across her desk for her new business partner to sign. Handing the older woman a glass of champagne, Katy raised her own in the direction of the portrait of her mother and aunt on the wall. She smiled as, without being asked, Kathy did the same.

"I think they'd approve." Katy announced, turning back to look at the older woman. "They liked you. They probably never admitted it, but they did. They'd have like the ideas for the R&R, too."

"I hope so. They'd be incredibly proud of you."

"I hope so." Katy echoed. Then she downed the rest of her drink and turned to Kathy. "Shall we tell Tina the good news?"

As luck would have it, as they were headed out of the R&R on the way to the Vic, they spotted the woman they were looking for walking towards them. She frowned at the bright smiles on their faces as she approached, looking between them in confusion.

"Have you got a middle name?"

Tina looked even more bemused by Kathy's question. "No."

"And is it Tina or Christina?"

"It's just Tina. What's this for?"

"Oh, it's just an insurance form, you know…" Kathy told her casually. "They want a list of everyone that's going to be a keyholder."

"Especially our new assistant manager." Katy added, shrugging lightly.

There was a long pause as the brunette looked between the two blondes in front of her, trying to work out what they were talking about. It seemed to hit her gradually and she put a hand to her chest, unable to quite believe that she might be right in her assumption.

"Me?"

"You." Katy agreed with a broad grin. "Kathy's bought into the bar and we talked about what we were thinking about LGBT events. Kathy suggested we turn half of the R&R into a gay bar and we decided that we need someone who knows the scene."

"And who better than someone I trust, who's hardworking and who deserves something nice to happen to her."

"Katy… Kathy… I don't know what to say."

"Just say yes!"

"Yes!" Tina shouted, pulling them both into an overjoyed hug. She pulled back, covering her mouth with a hand and laughing softly. "I can't believe it."

"Like I said, you keep looking forward." Kathy told her seriously.

Tina let out a scream, jumping in a circle. "I'm gonna run a gay bar!"

"I take it you're happy, then?" Katy asked, laughing at her excitement.

"What are you gonna call it?"

"We're keeping it the R&R." The younger blonde told her firmly. As Tina opened her mouth, she laughed and shook her head. "No, T, we're _not_ calling it The Prince Albert."

"The what?" Kathy looked bemused.

"I'm not telling her."

Tina rolled her eyes at Katy and leant forward to whisper into the older blonde's ear. Kathy burst out laughing, shaking her head at the meaning and glancing towards Katy, who repeated her refusal to change the name.

Instead, she suggested that they went inside, had a drink and sorted the paperwork. Grinning as she listened to the two older women laughing excitedly, already discussing what they could do with the place, Katy followed, totally confident that she had made the right decision.

* * *

_**A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, guys! I know the updates aren't quite as frequent as you (and I) would like, but I have a very full on job and lots of other stuff going on, so I'm doing my best to write around everything else I have to do! :)**_


	27. Chapter 27

Glenda was beyond thrilled by her granddaughter's latest plans for her bar. She told her, countless times, that bringing Kathy into the business was an excellent idea and Katy had the distinct impression that her grandmother would spend the majority of her time in R&R in the top bar, which they had decided would be where the gay bar would be located.

Tina was in her absolute element as they planned for the re-launch and Kathy seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself as well. Preferring to let them get on with it, Katy had sent Christian a message telling him of the development and promising that there would be a free bar if he was ever in the area. He had replied that Roxy would have been incredibly proud of her and that he'd do his best to visit at some point.

Whitney had confided in her friend that Ben still hadn't given Callum back the money he'd paid for the van. The knowledge didn't sit right with the blonde, who had no doubts that her cousin had known exactly what he was selling to the other man. Eventually, she couldn't stand it anymore, especially when her friends were struggling to get by as it was.

Catching him in the street, Katy asked Callum to follow her up to her office. He looked almost terrified as she closed the door behind them. Smirking slightly, taking pity on him, she crossed to the safe and took out a bundle of notes.

"Here… take this."

Callum frowned at her, stepping back and refusing to take the wad of cash that Katy was holding out in his direction. "What?"

"For the van. I know my cousin… Ben ain't gonna cough up, even though he knew that van was nicked. In fact, he probably sold it to you on purpose, because he's a dick." She shrugged. "Whit's my best mate and I can afford it, right. I know you two can't, so just take the money and tell her Ben gave it you back."

"I can't."

"You can and you should." She pressed, putting the money into his hands and stepping backwards.

"This is… this is too much. It didn't cost me this."

"Doesn't matter. Honestly, Callum, it'll make me feel better."

He blinked at her and then smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Katy ordered him, taking her seat behind the desk. "Seriously, don't mention it. I don't want Whit to know that the money came from me." She paused, her fingers resting lightly on the keyboard of her computer. "A bit of advice, Callum; stay away from Ben. He's bad news."

"He's your cousin."

"Yeah… that's how I know that he ain't to be trusted. Even the Mitchells don't trust him and we normally only really trust our own. Just steer clear, yeah? I don't wanna see Whit getting hurt."

"I… yeah."

Nodding, he mumbled another thanks and disappeared from the office. Katy considered his behaviour for a moment, before shaking her head and returning to the paperwork in front of her. Tina had decided that they needed a new range of cocktails especially for the new bar and had written out a new order list. Somehow it had fallen to Katy to actually put the order in.

Keeping one eye on the time, with Kathy and Tina now working at the bar fulltime it meant that she was able to do the school run everyday, something the children were delighted about, she placed the order. Katy had learnt her lesson and now triple checked every order she placed with the company. There was no way she was going to give them any excuse to screw up and blame her again.

As the time to collect the children crept closer, Katy left the bar and headed slowly in the direction of Walford Primary. She was early, deciding to pop into the Vic for a quick drink before leaving. Callum pushed past her roughly in the doorway and she frowned after him, before making her way to the bar.

"What's his problem?" She asked, Shirley, motioning over her shoulder as she perched on a stool.

"No idea. Usual?"

"Yeah, thanks, Shirl." She nodded.

"You seen your dad?"

"What about him?"

"He's on a date."

Katy's eyebrows shot towards her hairline. "Please tell me it's not Mel."

"Nah, look…"

Following Shirley's gaze, she watched Jack chatting and laughing with Denise. "I can cope with that."

The older blonde chuckled with amusement, setting a glass on the bar. She moved away briefly to get Katy's change before wandering over and leaning in front of her. She glanced towards the hallway that led up to the private flat, before nodding her head in that direction.

"Linda's banging on about signing Ollie up for swimming lessons so he can make some friends before starting school. You considered sending your lot?"

Katy snorted. "Nah. Besides, your Ollie is mates with my lot, so he's already got friends. Him, Matthew and the twins will be starting school together. They've already got a right little gang."

Shirley laughed. "God, they're gonna be trouble, aren't they?"

"They already are, Shirl!" Katy shook her head. "If Linda wants to get him ready for school, she should send him to the nursery. There's only half a term now, so I dunno if she'd get him in. My lot love it there."

"You try telling her that."

Finishing her drink, Katy said goodbye and headed out of the pub. She couldn't resist shooting a wink in her father's direction as she passed them, laughing softly at the shocked expression on his face. Clearly he didn't know what to make of her reaction to seeing him on a date with Denise and Katy thoroughly enjoyed knowing that he was panicking about what she might say.

* * *

Katy grinned as she accepted a drink from Whitney, happy to have one night where she wasn't working or at home with the children. The flat warming was turning into quite an event, for Jay at least, which his cousin was finding extremely annoying. As Whitney handed Jay the plunger, Katy snorted with laughter, earning herself a scowl from the young man.

When he returned, he looked even more irritated, particularly when he noticed something sitting on the kitchen counter. Grabbing at it, he glared around the room.

"Downstairs is out of bounds." Jay announced irritably, holding an urn tightly. "I've got a body in one of the coffins; I don't want it brought up next."

Katy snorted with laughter, before holding up her hands in defence. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, well, it ain't your business that's getting trashed, is it?"

"Jay, my whole business is _people_ getting trashed." She reminded him with a wink. "Look, d'you want me to help you tidy up?"

"Nah. Nah, you're out having fun for the first time in ages." He told her, nudging her arm. "Besides I think you've got an admirer…"

Katy followed his gaze to where a young man was leaning against the wall, eyeing her with a smirk on his face. As their eyes met, he raised his lager bottle in her direction and grinned broadly. Katy whirled back to face Jay, her eyes wide. He laughed at the sheer terror in her expression.

"What? You ain't a nun, are you?" He teased her. "Besides, how long has it been?"

"Not _that_ long! I ain't talking about this with you, Jay! Might as well discuss my sex life with Ricky!"

"Go on, then." He encouraged, nudging her in the young man's direction.

"No!" Katy shook her head vehemently, planting her feet firmly on the ground. "I ain't ready. I don't… I ain't ready."

"What? Tyler's getting married in like two months, Katy. You can't wait around doing what… punishing yourself?"

"It ain't about Tyler!" She snapped, slamming her cup down on the counter and pushing past him. She banged her way out of the flat, leaning heavily against the wall and putting her head in her hands. "You don't get it. Just leave it, Jay."

"Nah, I won't." He argued, pulling her into a hug. He completely ignored her attempts to push him away, until she gave up. Katy sagged against him, fisting her hands in the back of his shirt and burying her face in his shoulder. "What's happened?"

"Nothing. Nothing has happened. I just–"

"Bullshit." Jay pulled away and frowned at her, seeing the expression on her face and knowing that there was something really wrong with her. "Tell me, Katy."

"I am telling you. You're just not listening!"

"I know you better than that, Katy. Give me a little credit, yeah? I'm gonna keep asking until you tell me."

She scowled at him. "You really wanna know? I don't trust people, OK? I don't trust people to get too close without hurting me or leaving, OK?"

"But you trust me?" Jay asked, his eyebrows furrowing as he considered her words.

"I love you like a brother, Jay. I know that you would never hurt me, but… but I still don't trust that you won't _leave_ me at some point."

"What, so you're gonna live the rest of your life not letting anyone get close to you?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

"Katy…"

"Seriously, Jay, drop it now, OK?" She ordered him. "Just get back in there and enjoy yourself, right?"

"You're coming with me, though, yeah?"

"Nah, I'm not in the mood anymore." Katy shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself and rubbing her upper arm in a comforting gesture. "I'm gonna go. You go and have a good night."

"Well maybe _I'm_ not in the mood anymore."

"Shut up, Jay."

"Stop telling me to shut up." He told her angrily. "Stop telling me I don't understand. You just told me you don't trust me and you think I'm gonna abandon you some day. Out of everyone… out of _everyone_, Katy, I thought you had my back."

"I do!" She snapped. "I've always got your back, you know that."

"Right, so give me a little credit, yeah?"

"Whatever, Jay." Katy sighed, shaking her head wearily. "I'm just so tired; so _fucking_ tired of always getting the shitty end of the stick. I'm tired of people thinking they can do what they want and walk all over me. I'm done."

Throwing up her hands, the young woman stalked out of the building dramatically. Instead of heading home, however, she walked the short distance to her bar, ignoring almost everyone in her path and swiping a new bottle of vodka and a glass on her way up to her office.

Pouring herself a drink, she drained it in one go before refilling it and dropping heavily into the chair behind her desk. The bottle landed on the surface with a bang, closely followed by the glass. Katy leant backwards in her seat, grabbing her drink, not reacting as she spilt vodka on the paperwork in front of her.

"You alright, Mitchell?"

Katy turned her head and looked at the woman who'd spoken, shaking her head slightly and refocusing her gaze on her drink. She didn't answer, just grabbed the bottle and topped up her drink with a generous dose of vodka.

Tina sighed and moved it out of her way. "Come on, Katy. You haven't really been yourself for days. Whatever's going on, this isn't the answer."

"Yeah? You know nothing about it. This is exactly the answer, thanks."

"Come on, kid… you're better than this."

Katy scowled at her. "I don't pay you to patronise me, Tina. Just get on with whatever you should be doing and leave me alone."


	28. Chapter 28

"Will you have a word with Callum?"

Katy frowned. "About what?"

"Your cousin."

She frowned again. "Uhhh? Which one?"

"Ben." Whitney snapped. "He's too nice for his own good and it's gonna get him into trouble."

"What? Ben is?"

"No, you idiot. Callum is!"

"I'm really confused." Katy admitted, leaning back in her chair and shaking her head. "What are you on about?"

Whitney made a sound of complete frustration and threw her hands up in the air. "I ain't got time for this. I've got a meeting with Lister about my new stall. I'll have to explain later.

Nodding, although it was pointless as her friend wasn't even looking at her anymore, Katy watched as Whitney rushed out of her office. She had absolutely no idea what the younger woman had been talking about but, considering Ben was involved, she severely doubted it was anything good.

Katy sighed in frustration. She didn't have time to deal with other people's problems at the moment. Phil had been on at her to speak to Louise, to impress on her how difficult it had been to have her girls so young. Katy had outright refused, reminding him that her kids were her life and she would never tell anyone otherwise.

Finally, though, she had been relieved to find out that Phil had apparently made his peace with the fact that the eighteen-year-old was pregnant. He had announced that he was throwing a family dinner and wanted everyone in attendance. Glenda had hastily pre-empted her granddaughter's demands that she also attended, by announcing that she was going out for dinner and drinks with Kathy and, seeing as Katy's rotas were non-negotiable, they wouldn't be able to rearrange. Rolling her eyes, her granddaughter had given in without arguing and stomped off to get Matthew and the girls ready.

"So what's the occasion?" Billy asked about half an hour later, taking his seat beside Janet once everyone else was settled comfortably.

"Yeah? We celebrating something?" Lola asked, handing the wine bottle to Katy, who filled her glass without hesitating.

"Family." Phil announced proudly. Katy rolled her eyes, contenting herself with taking a large gulp of her drink rather than saying anything.

"What we having?" Jay asked, noting the expression on his cousin's face and changing the subject.

Louise pulled a face. "Not fish again?"

"Please, God, no." Honey agreed.

"I've only just got over the last one."

"That was wicked," Dennis grinned broadly, "them big eyes."

"Right, well, we were gonna have Thai, but I thought it might be a little bit… spicy."

"I'm fine with spice." Louise assured him.

"Well you know, just in case."

The door closed, announcing the arrival of the missing Mitchell. Ben apologised as he entered the room, catching several eyes before focussing on his father. "Sorry, I had a meeting."

"That's alright." Phil assured him quickly. "Better late than never. Sit yourself down here next to me, yeah." The young man smiled as he settled himself in the empty seat. "Right, well, like I was saying, we were gonna have Thai, but instead we're gonna have one of my legendary fry ups."

"Lovely…" Honey's expression clearly said that she was thinking the opposite.

Katy took another gulp of her wine. She wished that she and the kids had gone to Walford East with her grandmother instead. Mitchell family dinners weren't her idea of fun at the best of times, but at least they normally got a decent meal out of it. Glancing towards the end of the table, however, she realised that Matthew and the girls were having a lovely time with Lexi, Janet and William. Katy sighed, smiling weakly at Lola when she nudged her in the ribs.

"What d'you reckon all this is about, then?" Lola asked in a low voice as Phil moved to bring in their dinner from the kitchen.

Katy shook her head. "God knows… I can't believe you talked me into coming."

"I didn't want to come on my own!"

"Billy, Honey and Jay are here." The older woman pointed out irritably. "What d'you need me for?"

"Moral support!"

"Right, you lot, shut up a minute." Phil ordered, looking round at his guests. "So, the sausages are from Mum's old favourite butchers down in Stepney and the black pudding is from Monty's from Mile End. The twins used to swear by them."

"The twins?" Dennis asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"The Krays, darling." Sharon told him quickly.

"Provided most of the blood for them and all, I heard." Jay joked, causing Katy to snort into her wine while everyone else turned to look at him with varying degrees of non-amusement on their faces.

"Shotgun some of that!" Dennis said.

"So, ain't Keanu joining us?" Phil asked his daughter, changing the subject quickly.

"Oh, he said he had some overtime to sort."

Billy chuckled. "Slave driver, that boss of his."

"Hey, less of it!" Louise laughed too. "Every penny counts. "You can't blame a man for thinking about the future, eh?"

"Yeah well he… he ain't the only one."

Everyone turned their eyes on Phil curiously at his words, wondering what he was getting at.

"Phil?" Sharon's face fell and she looked at him, almost irritably.

"Sharon, I know what we said…"

"Said what?"

"Phil."

"We're family, ain't we?" He reminded her. "We don't have to tell everybody, but I think the family should know, shouldn't they?"

"Know what?"

"Dad?"

"Well, your… you're not the only ones planning for the future. Me and your mum are, too."

"What's that mean?" Dennis demanded.

"Well… you're gonna have a little baby brother or sister." Phil chuckled delightedly, apparently completely unaware that every other face in the room was not mirroring his feelings on the matter. "Sharon… Sharon's having a baby!" He laughed again, reaching for his glass. "To family – old and new!"

The rest of the assembled Mitchells joined in his toast, completely lacklustre in their enthusiasm for the news.

Katy made it through the meal, refusing to make eye contact with Ben despite the fact that he was doing his best to speak to her. As soon as they had finished, she made their excuses and hurried across the Square to her father's house. He was having Matthew and the girls for the night while Glenda was out with Kathy and Katy was at work.

Wincing as she entered the bar and locked eyes with Tina, the Mitchell was acutely aware of the last conversation they'd had. Motioning towards her office, Katy headed up the stairs and through the door, waiting until the older woman was settled on the sofa before sitting behind her desk. She smiled, slightly reluctantly before taking a breath.

"I owe you an apology."

"What's this?" Tina grinned. "An apology from a _Mitchell_?"

"Shut up, T." Katy rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, alright? I was out of order and I shouldn't have spoken to you like I did."

"Yeah, maybe, but it's not like you. What's going on?"

"Don't worry about it."

"You're my boss but you're also my friend, Katy." Tina reminded her. "If there's anything I can help you with–"

The blonde smiled tightly at her. "Trust me. You don't wanna get involved in my problems right now. It's far better for you if you steer well clear at the moment."

"You're not on your own though, right? There's someone you can talk to about… whatever this is?"

Katy nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"Promise?"

She smiled. "I promise. But… thanks."

Tina didn't look convinced, but smiled and left the room to return to serving at the bar anyway. Katy sighed and chewed her lip, wondering which problem deserved her attention first.

* * *

"Katy? I need you to talk to Tiff." Jack's tone told his daughter that it was an order rather than a request. Katy leant back in her chair and frowned, listening to his voice from the loudspeaker of her mobile. "Summit's happened and she needs you."

"Summit new?"

"She saw the guy."

"The one who raped her?" Katy sat up straight at once. "Where?"

"Nah, you need to concentrate on your cousin."

"You ain't gonna do summit stupid are you?"

"You're warning me?" Jack laughed mirthlessly. "Just meet us at the park."

"What?"

"I'll explain when you get here."

Not wasting time, Katy was out of the office before Jack had even hung up. She didn't know what was going on, but the urgency in her father's tone was enough to tell her it was serious. Signalling that she wouldn't be long, the young woman left the bar and made her way hastily towards the park.

She spotted Jack and Tiffany at once, standing beside the hut and apparently hiding from someone around the other side. If Katy wasn't very much mistaken, Jack was either giving his great-niece a pep talk, or laying down the law.

"What's going on?"

"Fraser's over there."

"Fraser?" Katy frowned. Then understanding blossomed over her face. "Oh… the bastard who–"

"I don't suppose there's any way I can put you off?" Jack asked Tiffany.

She shook her head, glancing at her cousin quickly before taking a deep breath and walking past them in the direction of the picnic bench where her attacker was sitting. Katy frowned at her father, motioning past him towards the redhead, but Jack just sighed and shook his head.

"She needs to do it, Katy. She needs to face him and show him that she ain't scared; that he ain't beaten her. Surely you understand that."

"Of course I do… but she's just a kid, she–"

"_You_ were just a kid too, remember?"

"Dad, I was never a kid in the way Tiff is." The blonde said, shaking her head. "Someone should have noticed… someone should have helped her."

"Yeah, I know." Jack closed his eyes in regret, before shrugging. "But we're here now."

They turned and watched the exchange, pride swelling in her chest as she watched her cousin standing up to the young man. As he took a step towards her, Katy flinched, unable to stop herself twitching in their direction. Beside her, Jack tensed, clearly preparing himself to intervene if the young man showed any signs of threatening Tiffany.

Finally, though, she walked back towards them and they were able to relax a little. Tiffany didn't stop; walking straight out of the park without saying anything. Jack and Katy followed, also wordlessly, until they reached the war memorial and the teenager dropped down to sit on the bench. She twisted her hands in her lap as her cousin and uncle settled themselves on either side of her.

"Your mum and nan would be really proud of ya." Jack said at last, breaking the silence.

Tiffany glanced sideways. "I never want anyone knowing about this."

"It remains with us." Jack promised. Katy nodded, smiling gently at the teenager.

"I just wanna get on with my life." Tiffany told them resolutely. "You know, it's done. It's finished."

Katy reached over and squeezed her hand supportively, before realising that Jack's attention was somewhere over her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes, wondering what he was looking at. As her father leant forwards a little, watching something closely, Katy couldn't help herself turning and following his gaze.

Immediately she realised the cause of his anger, spotting the young man who had attacked Tiffany larking about with his mates, throwing chips at each other. Katy's eyes snapped back to Jack's. They looked at each other, an understanding passing between them.

"I'm gonna go and see if Bernie's around." Tiffany said suddenly, making the others jump and fix their attention on her at once.

"You sure you're OK?" Katy asked, still concerned about her.

"Not yet." The redhead admitted. Then she smiled. "But I will be. See ya later."

Watching as she walked away, immediately buried in her mobile, Jack and Katy remained seating on the stone for a moment. Then the blonde looked at her father knowingly, earning herself a long sigh and an exasperated stare.

"What?"

"You're thinking of doing something, ain't ya?"

"Someone's gotta teach scumbags like him a lesson."

Katy chuckled. "I thought you were into grassing people up these days?"

Jack sent her a dark scowl. "Leave it out, Katy."

"What's your plan, then?"

"You ain't getting involved in this. You've got enough trouble at your door."

Briefly wondering whether he'd found something out, Katy shot him a sideways look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The bar, Tyler's wedding… I know you're still worried Dean's gonna come back."

Katy wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, well… Tiff's family, ain't she? Family comes first."

"Not this time. You leave this to me."


	29. Chapter 29

"Katy?"

"Yeah? What's up, Uncle Max?" From the expression on his face, Katy could tell that there was something seriously angering her uncle. "You alright?"

"You'll never guess who's back in Walford."

"Uhhh…" Katy frowned, trying to work out who could possibly be putting him in such a bad mood. "Who?"

"Bobby Beale."

The blonde almost dropped her coffee in shock. "You what?"

"Yeah… three years he got and he's back here. He killed his sister and he's walking about like he ain't got a care in the world."

"Max…" Katy reached out and laid a hand on his arm. "You _cannot_ do summit stupid."

"My kids thought I was guilty, Katy!" He reminded her. "Everyone thought _you'd_ killed Lucy for a while."

"Yeah, but now everyone knows it weren't either of us, right?" She pointed out as gently as she could. "Everyone knows he murdered his own sister, Max. Everyone _knows_. He ain't gonna have it easy."

"That ain't the point."

"I dunno what you want me to say." She admitted with a shrug. "I don't… I ain't in the habit of threatening kids or setting up vendettas against them, Uncle Max. As long as he stays away from me and my family then I don't want nothing to do with him." She sighed, shaking her head. "You should stay away an' all."

Katy sent him a weak smile and turned, walking away in the direction of the bar. She'd had an inkling that something was going on at the Beales', considering that she now worked so closely with Kathy and the older blonde had been a little cagey about things recently. As she'd said to Max, though, she didn't have the time or the inclination to get involved with Bobby Beale or his return to the Square.

With the lure of paperwork, the young woman was less than eager to enter her office, but there was nothing pressing to distract her. Smiling at Tina and several customers at a table in the corner, she climbed the stairs with her attention fixed on the screen of her phone. Ritchie had yet to get back to her about anything interesting and Jeff had been irritatingly quiet recently as well.

She had just about forced herself to concentrate on something when there was a bang on the door and Katy looked up just in time to see Ben crashing into the office, brandishing a newspaper at his cousin. His face was twisted into a furious expression, his eyes narrowed at the blonde behind the desk.

"Have you seen this?"

"What?"

He shoved the newspaper under her nose. Katy's eyebrows furrowed as she read the article about human body parts being discovered at a crusher yard. She swallowed thickly, reading the whole story, before schooling her features into a nonchalant expression, looking up at the young man and shrugging.

"So what?"

"How many people d'you reckon took a body to be crushed?"

"How should I know?"

"Katy, seriously, we need to think of a plan."

"Why?" She leant back in her chair. "You getting all stressed out about it is just going to make you look suspicious. I mean; storming in here brandishing a newspaper article… it looks a bit odd, Ben."

"Why aren't _you_ stressed about this?" He demanded, leaning heavily on the desk, glaring at her. "If they dig into it, they'll link it back to us."

"No, they won't."

"Your name is all over it, Katy!" Ben shouted as though she was particularly slow. "You had to give a name to get into the crusher yard. You had to sign the release paperwork."

"You actually think I'd be stupid enough to give my real name?" Katy shook her head. "Of course I didn't. I said we were from Williams and Sons. I knew Phil had been having a bit of bother with them, so I used their name. Anything comes of it and it'll be traced back to them, not us."

"My car!"

"Yeah, you parked off the estate… no CCTV back there. Come on, Ben, don't be an idiot and lose your head."

A tentative knock on the door broke through the tension, but not nearly enough that Tina didn't look nervous as she poked her head around the door and looked between the Mitchells. She hesitated, clearly wondering whether to interrupt or not.

"What's up?"

"Just… is everything OK? I mean, we can hear the shouting from out here."

Katy sighed, standing up and making her way over to the brunette with a smile. "We're fine, T. Thanks, though. Ben's just having a moment."

"Oi!"

"It's nothing." The blonde said firmly. "I'll be out in a bit, OK?" As soon as the door was closed, Katy rounded on her cousin again. "See? You're attracting too much attention."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Ben, seriously, leave it, yeah? No one knows anything and they won't be able to _prove_ anything even if they think it."

"Jesus, you're cold."

"Oh, shut up, Ben." Katy rolled her eyes. "I'm _nothing_ compared to you. I wouldn't trust you to get me a drink without spitting in it."

"_You_ think _I'm_ bad?" Ben laughed mirthlessly. "Oh, that's rich coming from you. You think I can't be trusted, that I'm dangerous… take a look in the mirror, Katy. You're the one who killed a man and sent him to the crusher yard without a second thought. You stood there and watched that car being turned into a _cube_ without blinking. You ain't right in the head!"

"I might be dangerous, but you're something else." Katy hissed at him, advancing slowly across the bar. "You know what makes you a monster? The fact that there's nothing and no one that you really care about. The things you do? You do them for what you can get out of it."

"Yeah? And what's so different about you?"

"I did what I did for my daughter. Family, Ben. D'you remember what it's like to have a family that you want to protect and who want to protect you? I know what you're doing here… I know _exactly_ why you came back."

"You know nothing."

Katy laughed. "I know _everything_, Ben. Lola told me about you wanting to take everything from Phil ages ago."

His face contorted with anger. "She did what?"

"Your secret's safe with me." She assured him. "I want nothing to do with any of it. You stay out of my business and I'll stay out of yours."

"Some Mitchell loyalty that is." He snorted, shaking his head at her. "You're full of shit, Katy."

"No, Ben, I'm not. Your secret's safe with me because I know that you're going to fail. You have never succeeded at anything in your life, have you? If I thought there was even the remotest chance that you'd manage to destroy Phil I'd tell him everything. But you won't because you're just a scared little boy who wants to prove that he can be as big and bad as his daddy."

There was a split second of silence, before Ben lashed out. His fist connected with the underside of Katy's jaw, taking her by surprise. She stumbled backwards a few steps, bringing her hand up to cup the spot, moving her jaw slowly to check there was no damage. It was a little sore, but there would be no lasting effects.

She laughed. "You do that again and see what happens."

"Yeah?"

"Get out." She ordered in a low voice as he stopped towards her, the laughter dropping from her tone in an instant. "Get out of my bar. Now!"

Ben stared at her for a couple of seconds, before turning and slamming his way out of the office. Katy paused for a moment, narrowing her eyes at the empty doorway, before snatching up the newspaper off the surface of the desk and staring at it thoughtfully. Ben was just panicking unnecessarily, she told herself, dropping the paper into the bin.

"Tina!"

The brunette was in the office in a matter of seconds, looking warily at her boss. She could see the anger on the younger woman's face, hoping that it wasn't going to be directed at her again.

"You alright?"

"Fine. Is Kathy in?"

"She should be here in half an hour or so."

"Great, can you–?" She broke off, frowning at the screen of her mobile, wondering whether her father was calling about the kids. "I've gotta answer this… I'll be out in a bit." She smiled and waited for Tina to leave the office and close the door, before holding the phone to her ear. "Dad? What's up? I can't have the kids tonight if–"

"I've done something… I think I've done something I shouldn't have."

"Where are you?"

"Your flat." He told her. "Glenda and the kids aren't here."

"I'll be home now."

Ending the call, she grabbed her things and rushed out of the room and down the stairs, not taking any notice of anyone who tried to get her attention. She was along Bridge Street and in the flat before she really knew what was going on, finding a shirtless Jack in her kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards.

"What the hell are you doing?"

As he turned, Katy noticed the wound on his shoulder and started forward worriedly. She grasped his bicep, spinning him slightly so that she could see better. With a sigh, the young woman pushed Jack into a chair and moved around to grab a box of plasters and a dishcloth from beside the sink.

"What happened?" She asked gently, dabbing gently at the cut with the damp cloth.

Jack barely reacted. "I just wanted to help."

"You went after that guy… Fraser. Dad…"

"He needed teaching a lesson."

"Yeah?" Katy shook her head. "And you taught him, did you? Showed him who's boss? For god's sake, Dad, you shouldn't have gone after him. The last thing Tiff needs is you starting a feud with them!"

"I know I've messed up." He muttered, shaking his head. "I was just trying to stand up for Tiff…"

"I know." Katy stopped, standing behind him and resting her head on his. "But what's going to happen if this goes further, Dad? Amy and Ricky need you… Tiff needs you. Hell, _I_ need you!"

"You think I don't know that?" Jack snapped, pushing her away and standing up. He pulled his shirt back on and buttoned it up quickly. "I know, Katy, alright? I shouldn't have done it. Besides, what makes you think you can tell me about how I should or shouldn't deal with situations?"

"Nice, Dad, thanks."

"Yeah, well…"

"I'm glad you're OK. I've gotta get back to work. Let yourself out."

Turning, she stalked out of the room and out of the flat, slamming the door behind her. She knew that Jack was right, that she had absolutely no moral high ground to claim, but she was worried. Her father couldn't afford to get into trouble for losing his temper and Katy had no doubts that Fraser would do whatever it took to get revenge.

"Katy!"

Wondering whether she'd ever get any peace and quiet, the blonde turned at the sound of her name. She couldn't help a smile twisting her lips at the infectious enthusiasm that was radiating off Tina in waves. Laughing softly, she accepted the flower garland that the older woman was brandishing in her direction, looking at it in bemusement.

"What's this for?"

"We've got everything sorted for Walford Pride; decorations are being delivered tomorrow first thing and I've been practising the new cocktails. Callum's gonna help out behind the bar as well."

"Amazing. I knew hiring you was an excellent idea."

Tina beamed. "Of course! Also, it can't hurt my chances of getting lucky, can it?"

"I shouldn't think so. You'll have to point them out to me, though… gotta make sure they're good enough."

"You're so sweet." The brunette laughed, wrapping an arm around Katy's shoulders. "I'll keep my eye open for you and all. It's about time you found someone."

"Thanks, T… I'll keep it in mind."


	30. Chapter 30

"Katy… is everything alright with Jack?"

The blonde frowned at Honey as she crossed the street to speak to her. "Yeah? Why?"

"He's selling the flats. He said something about needing to free up some capital?"

"Right, I… I didn't know." She admitted, glancing towards her father's house in confusion. "Thanks for letting me know."

"Yeah, I mean, it's just… well, we've only just moved in."

"I'm sorry, Hon, that's shit timing. But, you know Dad wouldn't sell if he didn't have to." She glanced at her watch. "Look, can I catch you later? I need to get back to the R&R and check how they're getting on."

Not waiting to hear the answer, Katy smiled and strode away. The rainbow balloon arch in front of the bar was obvious from the other end of the road and the blonde smiled, shaking her head at the massive grins on the faces of the two women ordering everyone around. Tina and Kathy's smiles were almost as visible as the balloons.

Laughing as she assured them she trusted that they had everything under control, Katy shook her head and made her way quickly up to the office.

"Come and dance, Katy!" Tina encouraged, grasping the blonde's hands and attempting to tug her out from behind the bar. "It's your place, if you can't take a break to dance, who can?"

Katy laughed, shaking her head. "Leave it out, T! You don't want me cramping your style, do you? I thought you were hoping to get lucky, anyway?"

"Well yeah, but if they see me dancing with such a fit woman they'll be all over me, won't they?"

Laughing again at the strange logic that her friend was applying, the blonde allowed herself to be dragged outside. She accepted a piña colada from Leon as he passed with a tray of the cocktails, rolling her eyes as he winked cheekily at her. Tina grinned broadly, grasping her hand and pulling her into the centre of the make shift dance floor in the street, twirling Katy around before wrapping an arm around her waist.

"This is great, Katy." She almost shouted in the younger woman's ear. "You've done an amazing job organising today."

"Me? You and Kathy did almost all the work, love."

"Just take the compliment, Mitchell."

"Fine. Thank you, Carter."

Katy allowed herself to relax and enjoy the event for a little while. After a little while, she smiled and squeezed Bernadette's shoulder, leaving the teenager with Tina while she went to check how things were going inside. Katy nodded towards the door, encouraging Callum to head outside where she knew Whitney had just arrived. He looked at her in bemusement for a moment, before mumbling something about going to collect glasses.

Shaking her head, the Mitchell opened the till and cast a cursory glance over the takings, smiling as she realised they were well up on their normal amount. She smiled with relief that perhaps things were starting to look up after all.

* * *

"Uhhh… Kath?" Katy frowned, looking up from the August rota that the older woman had not long handed her. "This rota…?"

"What about it?" Kathy furrowed her eyebrows, scanning the paper in her hand for an obvious mistake.

"Why have you put me down for a split week off the second week of August?"

"Tyler's wedding?" Kathy frowned even more. "Glenda said you'd need time off to go over to Spain with the kids for the wedding."

"No." Katy shook her head vehemently. "No, I'm not going to Spain. Not a chance. Tyler's dad, Eddie, is coming over to pick up the kids."

"But Glenda said–"

"Gran's wrong." The young woman assured her bluntly. "I have absolutely no intention of getting involved with that at all." She wrinkled her nose. "You can change the rota. I want you to put me down to work all that week, while the kids are away. I'll take the week of the 19th off."

Kathy didn't look convinced, but shrugged and headed away to do what her boss had demanded. Katy watched her go before sighing heavily and leaning against the bar. She rubbed her temples tiredly; thinking about the upcoming wedding that she was so determined not to be involved in.

Matthew and the girls were incredibly excited about the wedding, refusing to stop talking about it at every opportunity. Now that the school holidays had started, they were even more eager to discuss their trip to Spain, demanding that Katy put a countdown on the 'fridge until the date that they were due to leave. Glenda had attempted to get her granddaughter to agree to join them, but Katy had resisted all attempts to even be drawn into the conversation.

She was also refusing to answer any of Tyler's phone calls. She had, reluctantly, deigned to answer when Eddie or her ex's brother or sister called, but wasn't particularly forthcoming in her conversations with any of them, either. In the end she had requested that any further questions were directed to Glenda, much to her grandmother's frustration.

In reality, Katy had too much to think about to worry about what was going on with her ex-boyfriend. Ben was still acting much too shiftily for her liking, drawing attention to himself and seemingly going off the rails. She had attempted to warn him to stop what he was doing, but the conversation had just descended into yet another argument.

"Katy!" The blonde jumped as her name was shouted from the downstairs bar. She barely had time to stride over to the stairs before Tiffany appeared, looking around wildly. "Katy!"

"What's wrong? What's happened?"

"Uncle Jack… he's in trouble." The teenager blurted.

Holding up a hand to stop her saying anything else, Katy led her over to the office and opened the door. She sent Kathy an apologetic, meaningful smile and the older woman stood. She nodded in understanding as she left the room, pushing the door closed behind her.

"Right, tell me everything."

Tiffany launched into a very confused, very emotional explanation of what had happened between Jack and Fraser. Katy frowned as she listened, her mind casting back to the evening when her father had turned up at her flat needing help. Groaning and putting her head in her hands, she let her eyes slip closed as she considered what might happen next. At Tiffany's mention of the police, her heart sank.

"Right… thanks for telling me, Tiff." She said suddenly, cutting the teenager off and sending her a bright smile that didn't meet her eyes. "Don't worry about it, OK? I'll sort it."

"Katy, what–?"

"Seriously, Tiff, try and forget about it, yeah? You don't need the hassle at the moment, do you? I can deal with this much better than you. You need to concentrate on school and getting through, right?"

The teenager frowned, but knew better than to argue with her older cousin. She nodded slowly, turning and heading out of the office. Katy waited a couple of moments, thinking hard, before grabbing her jacket and following in her footsteps.

She banged on the front door of Jack's house until he opened it. At the sight of his daughter on the doorstep, he rolled his eyes, but stood back to let her in anyway.

"Dad? Tiff's told me so there's no point in trying to lie to me." Katy pre-empted what he would attempt, shaking her head and striding into the living room. "You need an alibi, right, so let's get one sorted."

"I've already asked Denise."

Katy gaped at him. "You what? Are you insane?"

"No. I trust her, alright?"

"And you don't trust me?"

"It ain't that and you know it." Jack snapped, scowling at her. "You don't need the hassle. You've got enough on your plate and, if anything happens to me, you need to look after Amy and Ricky."

"It's that bad, then?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Dad…"

"And I'm gonna need you to keep an eye out for Denise, as well."

"You what?" Katy frowned at him. "What the hell have you done?"

"Nothing, nothing, alright…" He told her hastily. "But I like her, OK?"

"I don't understand." His daughter admitted bluntly, shrugging and folding her arms across her chest. "What the fuck is actually going on here? Tiff told me that you attacked Fraser, which I already knew after the other night, but you're acting as though you're gonna go down for years."

"Who knows what's gonna happen."

"Well I do know that I need you around." Katy pointed out. "So do the kids. You sound like you're giving up."

"Since when have you needed me?"

"Dad, come on…"

"I don't want you getting involved in my problems, alright?"

"You're planning on doing something stupid, ain't ya?"

"No, of course I ain't."

"Dad, I know you. You're acting weird."

"Seriously, Katy, just keep your head down, alright? I'll sort this without you getting involved. You've got too much to worry about."

Shaking her head, the blonde sent him one final disbelieving look, before turning and striding out of the house. She let the door bang behind her, her eyes slipping closed for a moment, before she glanced at the time and realised that she needed to go and pick the kids up from holiday club.

The next few hours passed in a blur of children's television and over excitement. Glenda arrived home in time for Katy to head to the bar and take over from Tina. She was just leaving the house when she caught sight of blue flashing lights outside her dad's house.

Running through the gardens, she caught Jack's eye as he was led from the house and towards the car. Following his gaze, she spotted Tiffany standing in the shadows, tears falling down her cheeks as she watched what was happening.

"Tiff, hey, come on, sweetie." Katy pulled her into a tight hug, cradling her head against her shoulder. "It'll be alright, OK? I promise, it'll be alright."

"How is it gonna be alright? Uncle Jack's been arrested. This is all my fault."

"No, darlin'… this is my stupid father's fault, alright? He shouldn't have waded in and done what he did without thinking, yeah?" Katy told her, still rubbing soothing circles on her back. "But it'll all work out alright. We'll sort it."

As Tiffany continued to cling to her, crying her eyes out over the situation, Katy stared after the police car as it carried her father away from the Square. Exhaling sharply, she wondered whether Jack would be able to talk himself out of trouble or whether things would get blown out of all proportion and lead to countless other problems for the family.

* * *

"You're out, then?" Katy smiled as she leant against one of the gateposts in the gardens with a takeaway coffee cup in each hand.

Jack smiled and nodded, gratefully accepting the drink she held in his direction. "For now. They're still checking if they've got enough evidence to press charges."

"And will they?"

"I really don't know, Katy."

"Right…" She smiled weakly. "Just let me know if you need anything, right? I mean… Uncle Max ain't exactly in the right frame of mind to be looking after the kids, is he?"

"Thanks, darlin'."

Reaching out and squeezing his arm, Katy turned and strode across the Square. She took a long gulp of coffee, before throwing it in the bin and heading towards the R&R. She smiled at Tina as she immediately started chattering about the latest gossip that she'd missed after her day off from the bar. Laughing in disbelief at Tina's over exaggerated recount of Karen Taylor's date, Katy shook her head and said that she'd be looking over the accounts, but wanted to be alerted immediately if anything similar occurred.

The accounts were as boring as ever and Katy found her mind wandering after less than ten minutes of sitting behind her desk attempting to work. She rested her chin on her palm, distracting herself by googling last minute holidays to Ibiza for her week off. She had the overwhelming urge to visit the island to reconnect with her memories of her mother and aunt, wanting to show the girls and Matthew some of the places they'd visited now that they were old enough to make some memories of their own.

Making her mind up to speak to Glenda about taking a holiday, Katy gave up on working and left the desk. She wandered out into the top bar, smiling at the staff behind the bar and descending to the lower bar. Furrowing her eyebrows as she watched Karen Taylor leaving with her phone clutched to her ear, she nudged the brunette behind the bar and motioned towards the door.

"You have just missed Karen arranging a second date with Caren." Tina announced as Katy joined her behind the bar.

"What?" The blonde looked at her in bemusement. "I missed it?"

Tina laughed. "I'm sorry; it was too good to miss out on by coming to get ya."

"What do I even pay you for, Carter?" Katy joked, nudging her with her hip as she passed.

"Oh, I almost forgot. You had a call earlier."

"From…?"

"The bank, I think?" Tina shrugged. "They obviously wouldn't tell me what it was about, but they want you to phone them as soon as possible."

"Right… thanks."

Immediately distracted, Katy discarded the empty gin bottle on the bar and headed up the stairs to her office. As soon as she was inside, she reached for the phone. Instead of calling the bank back, she dialled her accountant's number and started drumming her fingernails on the surface of her desk as she waited for Jeff to answer.

"Jeff, Katy Mitchell. The bank has called. Is there anything I need to know before I call them back?" She demanded the second the call was answered.

"Another lump sum has been deposited into your account."

"What the hell is going on?" Katy snapped, knowing that her accountant was just as much in the dark as she was. "Who's doing this… and why?"

"I can't answer that one, but I can tell you that they've deposited another fifteen grand–"

"Fifteen grand?" The blonde flopped back in her chair, rubbing her forehead agitatedly. "So that's… _fifty_ grand? Fucking hell…"

"I would imagine the bank are calling to talk to you about the account type… unless something's raised their suspicions." Jeff told her seriously. "Miss Mitchell is there anything–?"

"I promise you, I don't know where this money is coming from or why." She replied firmly. "Ritchie Scott is looking into it and I've been advised not to touch a penny until we've figured this out."

"That's good advice. Keep me updated and I'll do the same this end."

Hanging up, Katy leant back in her seat, squeezing her eyes closed. She didn't understand where the money was coming from. Who did she know in Spain who would be able to afford to transfer fifty thousand pounds into her bank account? Katy fully believed that Carlos had no idea about any of it, but that didn't help her in the slightest.

Deciding to get it over and done with, Katy called the bank. Relief flooded through her when she realised that Jeff had been correct in his assumption; the young woman on the other end of the call simply wanted to run her through her options to get the most out of her money.

Katy glanced at the time as her call ended, making up her mind to take the rest of the day off to spend with the children. They had, much to Ruby's disgust, been signed in to the holiday club at the community centre again, but she guessed that they wouldn't mind her picking them up early and spending the afternoon with them.

* * *

_**A/N: I'm so sorry there's been such a long delay - real life got in the way!**_

_**x**_


	31. Chapter 31

"You're going to come to Bex's party, right?"

Katy looked up from the paperwork spread across her desk and sighed. Sonia looked at her hopefully from the doorway. Along with the hope, however, was an expression that was far too close to pity for the younger woman's liking.

"I dunno, Son… I've got loads of stuff to do and the kids are coming back from Spain tomorrow and then I need to get them sorted for school before we go on holiday, so I need to–"

"Oh, Katy, come on." Her cousin moved closer, folding her arms and frowning. "We haven't seen you for weeks. You've been locked away in here avoiding everyone."

"I've been busy."

"I know Tyler getting married was hard for you, but–"

"No, Sonia, it wasn't." Katy argued irritably. "I genuinely couldn't care less. If Tyler and I hadn't broken up, I wouldn't have this place. I wouldn't be here. It was the best thing for both of us, because we've both got what we wanted."

"Right." Nodding slowly, she shrugged. "So you'll come to the party, right? Twelve at the Vic."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Please."

"I said I'll see, alright?"

Holding up her hands in defeat, the brunette backed out of the office and left her cousin in peace. Katy sighed and put her head in her hands for a moment, thinking about what would probably face her when she went to the pub. She knew she'd have to – for Bex's sake more than anything – but she wasn't looking forward to being greeted with more people who would look at her the way Sonia had.

Now that she had got used to the idea, she genuinely didn't care that Tyler was married to someone else. It had been a shock to begin with, but Katy also knew that they both needed to move on and stop torturing themselves. What she'd told Sonia was true; if they hadn't broken up, she would still be living the same mundane life they'd fallen into when they'd left Walford.

Seeing the time passing twelve, Katy stood with a sigh and grabbed her bag. She would never hear the end of it if she didn't at least show her face at the party. Besides, she would feel slightly bad if she didn't go and congratulate Bex. Telling the barmaids that she wouldn't be long, she headed out across the Square and painted a smile across her lips, preparing herself for the questions that would no doubt be thrown her way.

Spotting the teenager standing alone, looking less than thrilled by the situation, Katy made her way straight over and dumped her bag on the bar. Bex turned quickly, only relaxing a little when she saw who was standing beside her. Frowning a little, Katy turned to lean against the wood and fix the younger woman with a knowing look.

"You OK, kid?"

"Yeah… yeah. I'm fine."

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

Katy snorted. "You should be better than fine. I heard you smashed those exams. You wanted those grades, right?"

"I needed those grades… doesn't mean I wanted them."

"Ah…"

"What?"

"I remember when I was doing my A Levels… Mum really wanted me to go to Uni, but I didn't think it was the right thing for me. I kinda hoped that I'd mess up my exams, just so that option would be taken off the table."

Bex stared at the blonde for a moment, obviously turning over her words in her mind. "Do you regret not going to Uni?"

"I could say no… that would probably make things easier for you, right?" Katy said, seeing the answer immediately on her cousin's face. "But… sometimes yeah, I guess I do. I mean, now I get what Mum was on about. I did kinda rush into life too soon. I love my kids – don't get me wrong – and I love running the bar, but sometimes I wish I'd lived a little bit more before I had to settle down."

"I just don't know whether I can go through all the stress of the work and exams and the massive debt I'll get into. You know what I was like with these exams. How can I do that again… but it'll be so much worse?"

"You've gotta give yourself a break, Bex."

"But everyone's so… my mum has barely stopped crying since I opened my results."

"This ain't about her." Katy pointed out. "Sonia's had her chance… it's your life and only you can decide what's right for you. You cannot do what you think will make other people happy. It just doesn't work."

"Yeah, I guess, I…"

"Trust me," the blonde glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the teenager's mother, "she might be a little bit disappointed if you decide Oxford ain't for you, but she's your mum. She just wants the best for you and if that means you don't go, she'll understand."

"Really?"

"It might take a while," Katy acknowledged with a shrug, "but yeah, she will."

Realising that the conversation was over, Katy squeezed Bex's arm and left the brunette to her brooding. She briefly stopped in to show Sonia that she had turned up, before smiling at Jack and heading out of the pub. Hanging around would just have meant that she was forced to make conversation and avoid questions about things she'd rather not talk about.

* * *

"Phil's home and he's asking to see you."

With a frown, Katy looked up to see Sharon standing in the doorway. She paused for a moment, looking the older woman up and down carefully, before leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. Sharon rolled her eyes.

"What does he want?"

"You'll have to ask him yourself; I'm just the messenger."

Katy sighed deeply. "I'm busy, Sharon."

"Yeah and Phil's lucky to be alive and he wants to see you, so you make time, alright?"

"Who made you the boss of me?"

"Don't be so childish, Katy."

"Whatever."

"Just go and see him." Sharon commanded, before turning and stalking out the office.

Katy glared after her, before throwing her pen onto the desk in a temper. She hated being ordered around, especially by Sharon. It was bad enough Phil acting as though he could tell her what to do, but at least Katy had a grudging amount of respect for him. Kicking the bin, which flew across the office and crashed into the sofa, she picked up her mobile and considered calling her grandmother. Then she changed her mind and stood up abruptly.

Calling over to Tina that she was popping out for a bit, Katy stalked out of the bar and along towards Phil's house. She was furious that she had been summoned and more furious that she was actually doing as she had been told. Without even bothering to knock, she slammed her way through the back door of number 55 and shouted her step-uncle's name.

"I know who hit me."

Phil uttered the sentence without any preamble. Confused, the young woman frowned, but said nothing. When he made no further attempts to talk to her, Katy dropped heavily to sit on the sofa, now completely unsure why she had been summoned.

"Right… what do you want me to do?"

"Kat said Ben knew the truth about what happened." Katy was unable to stop the snort that escaped her at his words. "You don't seem surprised."

"I'm not." She replied bluntly. "Come on, Phil, you're not stupid. I don't trust Ben as far as I could throw him. You shouldn't trust him either. He's going to do whatever he has to take you down."

They eyeballed each other for a long moment, understanding passing between them. Then Katy nodded sharply and stood up. She turned and headed for the door, before hesitating on the threshold. With one hand on the handle, she turned again and met his eyes.

"I'm glad you're OK."

Then she walked out of the house, closing the backdoor much more carefully than she had flung it open. Katy didn't know what would happen now, but she could guess that the situation wouldn't just disappear quietly. Ben would no doubt be wanting to speak to her, if nothing else. Briefly she regretted speaking to Phil the way she had, knowing that Ben could make things difficult for her if he wanted to. Then she decided that she didn't much care either way; she doubted there was much he could actually do to cause her any trouble.

"Katy?"

Sighing, more at being collared yet again than anything else, she paused and waited for her father to catch her up. Furrowing her eyebrows at the expression on his face, she tilted her head expectantly. Jack's grin broadened at her expression and he laughed.

"What's put you in such a good mood?" His daughter demanded.

"Just a bit of good news."

"Go on then."

"Dunno if I should say."

Katy rolled her eyes. "Dad, come on. I haven't got time for this."

"Oh, yeah?" He frowned, remembering something. "I thought you were off to Ibiza this week?"

"Nah, we're going next week now. Gran was being annoying about Mathew and the twins starting school and decided that we needed to do all the shopping and stuff this week."

"Ahhh… that would explain why she asked me about Amy and Ricky's shoe sizes."

"You hadn't even thought about it, had you?"

"Well Glenda's on it, so I don't need to." He reasoned with a shrug.

"Good thought process." Katy sighed. "So, what's this bit of news then?"

"Someone I used to work with offered me my old job back."

Confused, the blonde stared at him for a moment. "As a copper? What? Are you gonna do it?"

"I dunno… maybe?"

"OK…"

"You don't seem keen."

Katy shook her head. "It's not that. I just… you know… the old bill. We don't exactly see eye-to-eye."

"All that's behind you now." Jack reminded her, much more confidant that he really had any right to be. "You're a legitimate business owner and I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad." Katy smiled weakly, the smile not meeting her eyes. She struggled to hold his gaze, finally dropping it to her phone in her hand. "Listen, I think you should go for it. You always said you loved being a detective and I think you'll be great. Look at what you did for Tiff."

"What? Getting arrested for beating the bloke up?"

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, maybe…" Jack sighed and shrugged. "Right, make sure you come and see me before you go on holiday, yeah? Maybe come round for dinner tomorrow?"

"Sounds good." She agreed with a proper smile. "Catch you later."

By the time she got back to the bar, Katy didn't want to speak to anyone else. She went straight to the office and closed the door, dropping heavily onto the sofa and flinging one arm dramatically across her eyes. For a while, she didn't move. Instead she simply let her mind whirr through all the thoughts that were fighting for dominance.

Katy knew that her father's sudden interest in returning to the police force was down to his sudden cash flow problems. The fifty thousand that was sitting in the bank, unable to be touched until they worked out where it had come from, was almost taunting her as she thought about it. If only she could be sure it wasn't some sort of trick or trap, she could offer it to Jack to go some way to sorting his problems.

"Is it OK if I pop out for a bit, boss?" Tina asked, poking her head around the doorframe. Seeing the younger woman lying on the sofa, she entered the room and closed the door behind her. Moving to perch on the seat, she looked down at Katy in concern. "Hey? You alright? Should I call someone?"

"I'm fine." Katy assured her quickly. "Just got a lot on my mind."

"Yeah? Anything I can help with?"

"I thought you needed to pop out?" Katy reminded her, arching an eyebrow. "Anything wrong?"

"Oh, just Shirley. You know what she's like."

"Yeah? What's she done?"

"Punched a woman who was making out Ollie wasn't normal."

Katy snorted. "Sounds like Shirl did the right thing."

"Don't encourage her. She doesn't think she did anything wrong, either."

"I'd have done the same for one of mine."

"Mmm… I don't doubt it." Tina said, rolling her eyes. "So? Your problems? Anything I can do?"

"Foot rub?"

The brunette laughed as Katy grinned at her cheekily, moving her legs slightly so that they lay across Tina's thighs. Swatting at her gently, the older woman shuffled backwards so that she was sitting on the sofa properly with her back resting comfortably against the cushions. They sat in silence for a couple of moments, each considering their own problems. The weight of Tina's hands on her legs had an oddly comforting effect on Katy, who felt her mind calming a little as they sat.

"So… wanna talk about what's bothering you?" Tina asked eventually.

"I'm a Mitchell; take a wild guess."

"Phil?"

"Mmmm."

"He giving you a hard time about something?"

"Not exactly… It's Ben more than Phil, to be honest." She admitted quietly. "I have a feeling he's not going to take too kindly to me telling Phil not to trust him."

"Well, you're probably right."

"I'm definitely right, T. Ben is bad news."

"Don't let Kathy hear you saying that; she thinks the sun shines out of him."

"Don't I know it?" Katy muttered, earning herself a grin and a weak slap on the thigh from the other woman.


	32. Chapter 32

The children were overly excited for their holiday and so Katy had escaped to the R&R on Friday night after dinner at Jack's. Glenda was more than happy to get the children to bed and do the final bits of packing before their flight in the morning, although she was concerned that her granddaughter would overdo things before they went away. Katy, though, promised that she would be fine and would rather keep busy.

Tina had the night off and Katy found that she missed her friend. There was far less reason to leave her office with the brunette not being at work, so she used the time to make sure that the accounts and orders were up to date before she went away for a week. At about midnight, Kathy called to ask if she could help behind the bar. Grateful for the distraction from paperwork, the younger blonde agreed and prepared to spend the rest of the night serving punters.

"I wanna word with you."

Katy let out a long, weary sigh and turned to fix Ben with a half-irritated, half-exasperated scowl. He was leaning on the bar, glaring at her in a way that was clearly supposed to intimidate her. The young woman simply snorted and folded her arms, arching an eyebrow as she waited for him to speak.

"You been mouthing off to my dad?"

"Clearly you know I've spoken to Phil or you wouldn't be here." She pointed out. "I don't know why you think I'm remotely bothered, though?"

"Don't you remember what I've got on you?"

"What, exactly, do you think that is?" Katy asked, the ghost of a smirk playing about her lips.

"Office. Now."

Catching Leon's eye as her cousin stalked towards her office, Katy shook her head sharply and indicated that he should keep serving at the bar. Judging from the expression on his face, he wasn't too happy about the order. It was common knowledge that the two Mitchells didn't get on and Leon was clearly wondering whether he should intervene on Katy's behalf.

As soon as the door was closed behind them, Ben rounded on her. "I bet you couldn't wait to get in there and twist the knife, could you? I bet you loved telling him that it was all down to big, bad Ben."

"More like little, insecure Ben." Katy snorted, moving to sit in her desk chair. "Honestly, I don't know what you think I said, but I can assure you that I barely spare you a second thought."

"You said something, though, didn't ya?"

"I just said that I don't trust you and Phil was probably right not to either." Katy told him with a shrug. "Which is true, isn't it?"

"He's my dad!"

"Yeah, the dad you were planning on destroying and taking everything from. Don't play that one with me, Ben; it ain't gonna wash."

"You know absolutely nothing about anything, Katy. You didn't even grow up with yours, so what would you know?" Ben yelled, clenching his fists at his sides.

Standing up abruptly, she rounded the desk and moved to stand in front of him. As they stood toe-to-toe, the height difference between them was more pronounced. Rather than being intimidated by it, however, Katy merely glared up at her cousin furiously.

"Don't you _dare_ say I don't understand parental issues." She snapped, jabbing her finger into his chest. "I understand, Ben, but I also have no desire to destroy my family from the inside out. You talk the talk about family and loyalty, but you have no fucking clue what that actually means, do you? You're just out for yourself and what you can get out of anything you do. And you know what? We're all fucking sick of it and we're all fucking sick of _you_!"

He surged forward into her personal space, grasping her upper arms roughly. "You're pushing your luck, Katy. Don't forget I could drop you in it over that Dean business."

"Really? What are you gonna do?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at him. "Because from where I'm standing you ain't got nothing on me."

"I'm sure the cops would be interested in what I know about that night."

"Yeah? And what _is_ that, exactly?"

"You killed him and got me to help you get rid of the body in the crusher."

Katy nodded slowly. "And where's your evidence?"

"Them blokes at the yard would recognise you."

"You honestly believe that? It was months ago and I used a fake name." She pushed him back, her mouth twisting into a hard line. "Let's look at it objectively, shall we? Me; 5 foot 2, bringing up four kids, running a business, ain't been in trouble since I was a kid, battling cancer. You; pushing six foot, been in prison a couple of times, notorious temper, dodgy as fuck." Arching an eyebrow at him, she smiled darkly. "Go on, tell them. Let's see who the cops believe."

Ben didn't speak for a couple of minutes. He rubbed his jaw, clearly thinking about his next move, his tongue flicking over his lips nervously. Katy stood her ground, unable to keep the smug expression off her face as she realised he was floundering.

"Look… I don't wanna make trouble, Ben." She said finally. "And I really couldn't care less what you get up to. But Phil asked me directly and I weren't gonna lie. I don't trust you and it's pretty obvious I'm right not to." Katy glanced at the clock on the wall. "Look, I ain't got time for your melodrama, Ben. Whatever's happened is down to something you've done. I know it'll probably make you feel better to blame me, but we both know this ain't my fault."

Ben took a step backwards, looking her up and down before snorting derisively. "You can pretend to be whiter than white all you want, but we both know who you really are. One of these days you're gonna fall and I'm gonna be there to watch it happen."

"Whatever."

He turned and slammed his way out of the office, leaving Katy to slump back against her desk and exhale sharply. She knew that she probably shouldn't be riling Ben up as much as she was, that there was no way he was just going to leave her alone because she told him to, but she couldn't seem to help herself.

Maybe it was just because she had too much to think about at the moment, but she genuinely couldn't see how Ben would be able to convince anyone that she was responsible for Dean's death. The police obviously hadn't realised there was any link between her and the dead man, because they hadn't heard any more about it since the newspaper article. Katy dared to believe that it was all over.

A knock on the door drew her from her thoughts and she painted a less stressed expression on her face before crossing the room and throwing it open. Leon stood outside, glancing over his shoulder. When he realised that his boss was in front of him, he rubbed the back of his neck nervously and motioned towards the stairs.

"I saw Ben leaving. He looked furious. Everything OK?"

"Fine." She assured him quickly, sending him a tight smile. "Everything OK out here?"

"Yeah, no problems."

"Good. Give me ten minutes and I'll be back out, alright?"

"You sure you–"

"I said I'm fine." Katy snapped. Then she took a breath and forced herself to smile weakly again. "Sorry, Leon. I just… family, you know how it is."

"Yeah…" He laughed uneasily. "Let me know if you need any help."

She nodded, furrowing her eyebrows as he headed back to the bar. Closing the office door for a moment, she crossed to the desk and opened the bottom drawer, pulling out a vodka bottle and glass. Pouring herself a generous measure, Katy knocked it back quickly, before refilling the glass. As she cradled it in her hands, she leant back in her chair and thought for a moment.

Finishing it, she replaced the bottle and glass in the drawer and pulled herself together. Rolling her head to work out the kinks in her neck, Katy strode over to the door and went out into the room beyond. She smiled as she was immediately thrust into the noise and crowd over the upper bar.

"Hey, I'm swamped downstairs." Kathy shouted into her ear, catching her by the elbow and making her jump. "Any chance of another pair of hands?"

Spotting Leon eyeing her warily, Katy nodded and told Kathy that she could ask him to help her. She didn't need anyone looking at her as though she needed protecting and she wasn't about to stand for it from one of her staff. Leon looked at her in slight confusion as Kathy passed on the message, but Katy merely held her head up and threw herself into serving the punters at the bar.

The rest of the night passed with very little happening, much to Katy's relief. Sending Kathy and the rest of the staff home when the last of the stragglers had left, Katy made sure that everything was set for her week off, before locking the takings in the safe. On the way back down, she sighed at the mess that had been left downstairs, deciding to at least clear the bar before heading home.

For the first time, Katy felt uneasy about locking up and walking home alone. Normally it didn't bother her at all, but something was niggling at the back of her mind as she double-checked the door was locked and pocketed her keys. Pulling her jacket around her more tightly, she started in the direction of home, keeping her head up and striding out confidently.

"Taking a risk, ain't ya?" Ben suddenly appeared from the shadows, making her jump and whirl around to glare at him. "Bit dangerous out here for a woman at night."

"It's only dangerous because of creeps like you jumping out at us." She retorted irritably, starting to walk again.

As the young man fell into step beside her, Katy rolled her eyes. The moment she'd realised that it was Ben who was causing her feeling of unease she had relaxed considerably. Now she was just tired and annoyed and wanted to get home to bed. They were on an early flight in the morning and she was hoping to get at least a couple of hours sleep before they had to head to the airport.

"Besides, which one of us got their head kicked in going home from the bar? Oh yeah, it was you."

Ben glared at her as she paused on the steps, hunting in her bag for her keys. "You're a dick."

"Whatever."

"Have fun in Ibiza. Mind you don't catch something."

Katy laughed, shaking her head. "I didn't think you cared."

"I don't."

"Well, try not to ruin this family any more than you already have while I'm away." She ordered lightly, reaching out and patting him on the cheek, harder than she'd intended. "See ya in a week, cuz."


	33. Chapter 33

By the time they closed the villa door behind them, everyone was in a terrible mood. Travelling with four children under eight and her grandmother was almost enough to push Katy over the edge. Ruby, Matthew and the twins immediately dropped what they were carrying and sprinted in various directions to explore, while Glenda muttered that she needed a drink and headed out onto the terrace. Glancing upwards, swearing under her breath, Katy picked up as much as she could carry and made her way towards the bedrooms.

Throwing her bag on one of the double beds, Katy considered flopping down on it for a moment, before an annoyed shout followed by laughter met her ears. Rolling her eyes, she wandered out in the direction of the sound, seeing an indignant Ruby, standing beside the pool dripping water everywhere while Mathew and the twins laughed uproariously at her. Even Glenda was smirking a little as she did her best to chastise the younger children and comfort her eldest great-granddaughter.

"Did they actually push her in the pool?" Katy asked as soon as they'd all headed inside.

Glenda arched an eyebrow. "It was Jess, obviously."

"Obviously." Her granddaughter echoed, sighing.

"I'll go and do a food shop." The older woman offered, although Katy severely doubted that it was a selfless offer. She suspected that her grandmother just wanted a bit of peace and quiet for a while. "Anything that you want?"

"Vodka."

"Anything that you want that wasn't already on the list?" Glenda specified.

"Nah, whatever you think. Thanks, Gran."

With a wave over her shoulder and the bang of the front door, Glenda was gone. Katy heard the hire car start up, before sighing and going in search of the children. They'd worked out bedrooms between them – much to her relief – and by the time Katy poked her head around each of the doors, they had well and truly made themselves at home. Wincing at the sight of clothes strewn everywhere, she agreed that they could put their swimming things on and go straight in the pool.

"Come and swim, Mummy!" Jessica requested, bobbing up and down beside the wall and peering up at Katy on the sun lounger.

"Not right now, babe." She said with a smile. "In a bit, I promise."

By the time Glenda returned, they had persuaded Katy to join the in the pool. The older woman returned to the sound of laughter and excited screaming, settling herself on the sun lounger and watching her family messing around in the pool. She smiled at the sight of her granddaughter totally at ease, not a care in the world as she laughed and splashed the children.

"Coming in, Gran?" Katy called, swinging Matthew onto her shoulders as she turned to look at Glenda. "Water's lovely."

"Not a chance, my darling."

"Oh! Come on, Granny! It's fun!" Ruby pleaded, swimming up to the wall and batting her eyelashes as she looked up at her.

"Nope."

The children all glanced in Katy's direction and she nodded, a mischievous grin on her face. As one they swarmed towards Glenda and began splashing water in her direction, earning themselves a shocked shriek as the woman jumped to her feet. Laughing wildly, the children immediately forgot about tormenting their great-grandmother and started throwing the beach ball between them.

Lifting herself up to sit on the edge of the pool, Katy laughed at the sight of Glenda attempting to dry herself with a towel, before she gave up and dropped heavily onto the lounger with a huff. The older blonde scowled at her for a moment, before flicking her with the towel and allowing a smile to twist her lips.

"I hate you all."

"Nah, you don't. You love it really." Katy chuckled.

"Yes, I absolutely love being soaked when I'm fully clothed." Glenda retorted sarcastically.

"Gran, we're in Spain and it's like thirty degrees. You'll dry off in like three minutes." Moving to drape herself over the second sun lounger, Katy glanced sideways. "Anything interesting happen at the supermarket?"

"Nope," letting out a contented sigh, Glenda reclined on her lounger, closing her eyes, "although there was a rather handsome young man who seemed quite interested in me."

"Oh yeah?" Turning onto her side, Katy propped her head up on one hand. "Tell all."

As Glenda launched into her tale of the sexy Spanish man she'd met at the supermarket, Katy closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the warmth of the sun on her face. She'd made up her mind to go and visit Carlos while they were on the island, to see the look on his face when she asked him about her mother's business accounts.

"Are you even listening to me, Katherine?"

"Yeah, course I am." Katy assured her immediately. "Your new boy toy, Mateo, works in La Cantina on Calle Valle De Roncal."

"Hmmm…"

"Honestly, Gran, I'm listening to you, I promise."

"No, I'm just… how would you feel about me popping out for a couple of drinks later?"

Katy laughed, knowing that she could have guessed that Glenda would ask that. "It's fine, Gran. Go and enjoy yourself. You can stay here tomorrow while I head out."

"You're going out?"

"Alright." She rolled her eyes. "No need to look so surprised."

"This is the first time in… months… that you've even expressed an interest in going out. I'm pleased to hear it."

Katy rolled her eyes again. "It's not like that, Gran. I wanna go and visit Carlos Belan, Mum and Rox's business partner out here."

"Katherine! You're on holiday. Can you just have one week without thinking about business?"

"Yeah, OK, but it's not just business. I liked Carlos and I was mates with his son Daniel." Her eyes flickered unconsciously towards the twins, a soft smile on her face. "I wanna see how they are."

"Alright, fine. But I expect you to have a good time and come home at least tipsy."

Laughing again, Katy shoved her arm gently. Then she pulled herself to her feet and ran her hands through her hair, squeezing the worst of the water from it as she did so. "Mojito?"

"Ooh, you know the way to my heart, my darling."

* * *

Katy had been woken in the middle of the night by the sound of the villa's front door and then a loud, hastily shushed, giggle. Immediately guessing that it was her grandmother and her latest conquest stumbling in, she had merely turned over and placed her pillow over her head, hoping that they wouldn't be loud enough to wake any of the children up.

She must have fallen asleep pretty quickly, because the next thing she knew it was just gone eight in the morning. The thin curtains were no match for the bright sunlight and with a sigh she rolled out of bed and headed for the kitchen. Ruby was already in the living room, watching cartoons, so Katy dropped a kiss to the top of her head and asked whether she was ready for breakfast. Receiving a shake of the head in response, she merely shrugged and went to turn on the coffee pot.

"Buenos días."

Jumping at the greeting from behind her, in an unexpectedly masculine voice, Katy whirled around defensively. She was acutely aware that she was wearing a thin tank top and shorts that were decidedly shorter than was decent.

"Err… buenos días."

"Soy Mateo. Regresé aquí con Glenda anoche."

"Soy Katy. Glenda es mi–"

Before she could reveal that Glenda was her grandmother, the woman herself appeared in the kitchen. "Ah, Mateo, this is Katy."

"Your younger sister, I assume?" He said with a charming smile, wrapping Glenda in his arms.

Katy pulled a face at her grandmother behind his back as Glenda laughed flirtatiously. "Something like that."

"Right, well, lovely as this is, I've got kids to sort." The younger blonde muttered, sure that neither of them were actually listening to her. "Can you just… not in front of them, please."

"Sorry, darling." Glenda apologised, extricating herself from the young man's arms and tying the belt around her robe more securely. "I think I'll go and have a shower. Mateo?"

As they left the room, Katy shook her head and exhaled, letting out a long, low breath. Turning her attention back to coffee and pastries, she flicked the radio on, filling the room with music. When first Matthew and then Sophie appeared, she called Ruby in to come and sit at the bar with them, before going to pull Jessica out of bed. The sound of the shower running in the bathroom attached to Glenda's room made her shudder slightly, before she herded her daughter to join the others.

"Who was that man with Granny?" Ruby asked around a mouthful of food.

"Finish what you're eating before you ask questions." Katy told her, sopping on her coffee and wondering how to answer.

"So, who is he?" She pressed as soon as she had swallowed down her breakfast.

"He's just her new friend."

"Is he her boyfriend?" Jessica asked, peering at her curiously.

Katy winced at the thought. "No. He's just… someone she met and had some fun with."

"Is he staying here?"

"No. No way."

"Can we go to the beach?" Matthew asked, clearly disinterested in their current conversation.

"Of course." Katy agreed, smiling at him. "After breakfast, OK?"

"Is Granny's friend going to come to the beach with us?"

Shooting her eldest daughter a look, the young woman shook her head. "No, I'm sure he's got things to do and places to be."

When Glenda emerged a short while later, Katy reiterated the statement and the older woman held up her hands in informed her that Mateo had, indeed, gone home. Narrowing her eyes playfully, her granddaughter told her she was glad to hear it, before retreating to her room to get ready for their day at the beach.

* * *

Making her way through once-familiar streets, Katy found herself standing outside the bar that Ronnie and Roxy had set up with Carlos. She smiled fondly, before sighing and pushing open the door. Inside was packed, unsurprisingly, but she pushed her way through the crowds to the bar. Looking around quickly, she spotted a familiar face and headed to the far end, smiling broadly at the young man serving there.

"Daniel!"

"Oh my god, it's not Katy Mitchell?" He slipped out from behind the bar and pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her feet off the ground. "It's been years! What are you doing here?"

"I'm on holiday with my family; thought I'd show them the old haunts." She smiled. "How're you? How's the family?"

"Well… I got married!"

Katy blinked at him for a moment, before forcing her face into a smile. "Oh my god, that's amazing! Congratulations. When?"

"Two weeks ago, actually." He beamed. "I think you'd really like Rachel."

"I'm sure I would." She agreed. Finding out that two of her exes had got married within a week of each other was a surprise that she hadn't needed. "How's your dad? Is he around?"

"Yeah, he's in the office. Why don't you–" Daniel stopped abruptly. "You stay here and I'll go and get him. Mía will get you a drink."

Katy furrowed her eyebrows a little at his strange behaviour, watching him head towards the office, before her attention was distracted by the barmaid he'd asked to serve her. While she waited for her drink, her eyes moved back to the doorway where Daniel was now speaking to his father, motioning over his shoulder towards the bar. As Carlos walked further into the room, Katy looked past him into the office, catching sight of someone with long blonde hair, before the door was closed firmly.

"Katy!" Carlos greeted her just as warmly as his son had, holding her at arm's length to look at her properly. "You're looking more beautiful than ever."

"Oh, shush." She swatted at him. "You're looking well. How's business?"

"We're doing well, especially over the summer months. Did Daniel tell you his news?"

"Yeah, congratulations!"

"Just Joshua to get off my hands now; the other six are settled. I don't suppose you'd–?"

Katy laughed along with him as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. "No, Carlos, thank you. Poor Joshua wouldn't know what had hit him."

"I suppose you're right; I don't think he'd be able to handle a Mitchell girl."

"Look, Carlos, I've got a couple of questions I wanted to ask you… about Mum and Rox's business account."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Now's not a good time… you can see how busy we are. When do you go home?"

"Saturday morning."

"What about meeting for lunch on Friday?"

Slightly suspiciously, Katy agreed. She said goodnight, asking Carlos to say goodbye to Daniel for her. He agreed, hugging her again before heading back to the office. Yet again, Katy caught sight of someone blonde before the door closed. With a sigh, she shook her head and told herself not to be so stupid, before heading back to the villa.


	34. Chapter 34

"Heavy night?"

Katy glared at Glenda as she plopped down onto the stood at the breakfast bar beside her, putting her mug down much more heavily than was necessary. The older blonde smirked as she regarded her granddaughter who had her head propped up on one hand and was staring broodingly into her half empty coffee mug.

"Not really, just didn't get the answers I was hoping for."

Glenda arched an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Katy shook her head and smiled weakly. "I was just hoping that Carlos could tell me something about Mum or Rox that I didn't know, but he couldn't."

"I knew coming here would upset you." Her grandmother sighed. "I told you we should go somewhere else."

"No, no. I'm fine, honestly, Gran."

"What's the plan for today, then?"

Katy shrugged. "I think the kids want to go to the beach again."

"Sounds good. I'm meeting Mateo for lunch, so I'll come to the beach, pop off and do that and then come back and join you afterwards."

"Oh, nice." Her granddaughter teased, shaking her head. "You're just gonna drop your family for a hot Spanish bartender?"

"Yes, I think I am, darling."

"Does he actually think you're my sister? That is so many levels of warped."

Glenda laughed, reaching out and pushing her shoulder. "Of course he doesn't, although he does think I'm your mother."

"Hmmm… easy mistake to make, I suppose and it's better for you than him knowing you're my _grand_mother."

Scoffing at her cheek, Glenda gently pushed past her and went to get ready for their day. When she reappeared in the kitchen, Katy laughed until she grumbled irritably and went to change into something a little less formal. She complained all the way to the beach that she wasn't dressed properly for her date, causing her granddaughter and eldest great-granddaughter to tease her almost mercilessly.

Things continued at a relaxed pace, with Glenda disappearing off for her date and not returning to the villa until late that night. The little family thoroughly enjoyed exploring the island and seeing all the places that Katy could tell them about. Ruby insisted on buying Amy a postcard and Matthew wanted to get one for Ricky, which made Katy smile fondly.

On Friday morning, the young woman left the children in Glenda's care and headed off to meet Carlos for lunch. He had chosen a restaurant that Katy had visited often with her mother and aunt, so the nostalgia was strong as she walked through the tables to join him.

"The Ibiza air has clearly done you good." Carlos told her, nodding approvingly as she settled herself opposite him. "You're a much more healthy colour."

Katy laughed softly but didn't disagree. "I'd forgotten how much I love this place."

"It gets under your skin alright."

"So, are you ready to answer my questions?"

Carlos played for time by summoning a waiter and ordered for them. Katy watched him, thoroughly unimpressed by his attempt to stall. As soon as the young man had wandered away, she leant forward and arched an eyebrow.

"Come on, Carlos. I just want to know about my mum and Roxy."

"I don't know what I can tell you, cariño. You saw them after I did. I hadn't seen them in months before they died."

"Yeah, but you were their business partner." She reasoned. "Look, Carlos, you want the truth? Someone has been putting money in my bar's account and we cant work out where it's coming from. My accountant and Ritchie are getting jumpy and, to be totally honest with you, I could do with getting my hands on it, which is obviously a no-go until we work out where it's from."

"I see the issue."

Katy laughed softly at his serious expression. "Yeah, exactly. So, if you do know anything about it, I'd really appreciate a head's up."

Carlos watched her thoughtfully for a moment, before pulling out his mobile. "Let me make a few calls. I'll see if Ronnie and Roxy's old accountant knows anything about it."

He moved away from the table and there was a long pause before he started talking. Carlos kept throwing glances of his shoulder at her. After a while, Katy felt a little uncomfortable and decided to look round at the other diners. She felt her gaze being drawn to a table in the far corner where two blondes were sitting. One of them was talking into a mobile, while the other seemed to be chipping in every now and then, much to the first woman's annoyance. She couldn't see their faces, but something about them seemed oddly familiar.

Shaking her head, Katy exhaled and ripped her gaze away. Maybe Glenda was right and coming back to the island had been a bad idea after all. She was seeing ghosts, imagining that she was seeing her mother and her aunt in every blonde woman that caught her eyes.

"I think I can solve the mystery." Carlos announced, drawing her back to the present as he took his seat opposite her once more. Somehow their meal had been delivered while she'd been distracted. "If anything happened to them, Luis had orders to get the contents of Ronnie and Roxy's accounts to you, to later be split equally between yourself, Amy and Matthew. Apparently it took him a while to work out how to do that."

"Right… so why the secrecy? Why was the money just put in the account with no explanation? If it's legit, why was it all cloak and dagger?"

Carlos shrugged. "Don't ask me to explain the way Luis' mind works. The man's a lunatic."

"OK, so… the money is legit? Nothing's going to come back on me if I touch it?"

"No. It's definitely clean. They would never have got your business tied up in anything dodgy."

"Yeah, I know…" Katy leant back in her chair, toying with her pasta. "That's a massive weight off my mind, Carlos. I really needed that money to be accessible."

"You in some kind of trouble, mi querida?"

"Not exactly." She sighed. "Just a bit of a family cash flow issue, that's all. A series of unfortunate events, you know?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, this money will really help."

"Anything I can do?"

She shook her head, taking a bite of her lunch and taking her time to chew. "No, it's fine, honestly."

Their conversation turned to other things as they finished their meals. Katy laughed as she listened to Carlos' stories of her mother and aunt; both from before Katy had known them and after. He seemed to enjoy having an appreciative audience and she was enjoying hearing his tales. In turn, she told him about the children and their lives since she'd last seen him. As the waiter came to ask about desserts, Katy shook her head, but Carlos persuaded her to have one anyway.

"Let me drive you home." Carlos offered once the bill was settled. He had outright refused to even entertain the idea that she paid for anything. "I would like to see that Ruby of yours again."

Katy hesitated, unsure whether it was a good idea or not. The last thing she wanted was for Carlos to realise that the twins were Daniel's daughters. Reluctantly she agreed, knowing that it would look strange if she didn't.

As they climbed out of his car outside the villa, Katy held her breath and led the way inside. If Carlos noticed anything off about her behaviour, he didn't mention it, chatting happily about the owners of the house they had rented for the week. Calling out to her family, Katy smiled as Sophie threw herself into her arms, swinging the four-year-old onto her hip.

"Carlos, this is Sophie… Matthew… Jessica… and you know Ruby, of course." She introduced the children, before glancing around. "Where's Granny?"

"She's on the terrace with her friend." Ruby announced, rolling her eyes.

"Ahh…" Turning back to their guest, Katy shrugged. "Gran's enjoying a holiday fling with a barman young enough to be her grandson."

Carlos laughed. "When in Ibiza."

"Are you Mummy's friend?" Jessica asked, peering up at him curiously.

"Not like Mateo is Granny's friend, babe." Katy told her quickly, stifling a laugh. "I knew Carlos when I came here with Grandma and Aunty Roxy. D'you remember, Rubes?"

"I think so." The eight-year-old frowned a little, as though trying to retrieve a distant memory.

"I'm very pleased to make your acquaintances." He bowed theatrically, before taking each of the girl's hands and pressing a kiss to it and shaking Matthew's firmly. The children giggled delightedly at his silliness. "I am Carlos Belan, your servant."

Katy laughed fondly. "Carlos was friends with Grandma and Aunty Roxy. He ran a bar with them here."

"Mummy runs a bar at home." Ruby told him proudly. "It's called R&R and it's a gay bar and it's the best bar in the world."

"Did I mention that Ruby's in charge of my advertising?" The young woman joked.

She put Sophie down, suggesting that they went and made the most of their last afternoon in the pool. Not needing any encouragement the four children rushed away to do as she had said, causing Katy to shake her head fondly and turn to offer the man a drink.

"Your children are very beautiful." He complimented her, accepting the beer she offered. "You're obviously doing a wonderful job raising them."

"Thank you. I think they're pretty great, but obviously I'm biased."

"And their father…?"

Katy flinched slightly. "Tyler runs an antique business with his father and brother, so he's crazy busy most of the time. He's a great dad, though and he took on Ruby and Matthew as his own."

"So he's not here with you?"

"No, just me and Gran and the kids."

Keen to change the subject, Katy led the way outside onto the terrace. She huffed a little as she saw Glenda and Mateo sharing one of the loungers, but said nothing. Instead, she led Carlos over and introduced him to her grandmother. It seemed that the men knew each other quite well, which Katy realised wasn't all that surprising.

"So, how do you know Carlos?" Mateo asked interestedly, looking between them.

"He was my Mum and Aunt's business partner." Katy explained simply, keeping one eye on the children splashing around in the pool. "They ran a bar together here."

"No way?" The younger man looked between them in surprise. "You're not Ronnie Mitchell's daughter?"

"I am, yeah? Why? Did you know Mum?"

"Yeah, I know Ronnie and Roxy. Who doesn't? They're–"

"Mateo used to work for us when Ronnie and Roxy ran the bar." Carlos cut across him quickly. "That was before you all went back to England, of course. Everyone was devastated to hear that they had died; they were so well liked around here."

Mateo looked a little confused, but didn't question what the older man had said. "Yeah, they were so much fun, especially Roxy."

"It's nice to hear that my girls were so popular." Glenda said, a hint of sadness creeping into her eyes. Katy smiled softly at her. "And that we're not the only ones who miss them."

"You're Ronnie and Roxy's mother?"

Glenda winced. "I am."

"It's obvious where they got their good looks from." Mateo told her charmingly, leaning in and pressing a kiss to the underside of her jaw.

Katy pulled a face at Carlos, who laughed and changed the subject, much to her immense relief.


	35. Chapter 35

The first thing Katy did on her return to London was to call Jeff and tell him what Carlos had said about the money. After advising her to speak to Ritchie before she did anything further, the accountant agreed to set the ball rolling on moving the money into different accounts.

A quick chat with Ritchie, who advised her to think about it for a while, persuaded Katy that offering the money to her father to try and get him out of the hole he'd found himself in was the right thing to do. She spent a large part of the morning on the phone trying to organise everything, not wanting to tell Jack the plan until she was sure it was going to happen. Then she called him and asked if he could meet her for lunch.

"What d'you want?"

"Charming." Katy sniffed, pretending to be offended. She leant back in her chair, chewing maddeningly slowly on her sandwich. Jack stared at her and she smiled innocently. "Actually, I've got something to offer you that you might want."

"Why are you being so cryptic?" He asked, frowning at her.

"Because you're going to be at least a little bit angry with me." She replied with a shrug.

"What've you done?"

"_I_ haven't done anything. Not really."

"Katy."

"OK." She sat up straighter in her chair and fixed him with a serious look. She decided to simplify the situation as much as possible and hopefully avoid most of the questions her father would have otherwise. "Mum and Rox had a business account in Ibiza and their business partner, Carlos, has paid some of the money into an account that I can access. I've spoken to my accountant and Ritchie about it and, even though the money is supposed to be split equally between me, Amy and Matthew, I can transfer it into your account to help you out for a bit."

"I don't wanna take your money, Katy."

She exhaled sharply. "Dad, come on. You've helped me out in the past, now I can help you out. Don't tell me you don't need the money. Why else would you be considering going back to a job you left years ago, otherwise?"

Jack sighed, rubbing his forehead agitatedly. Then he nodded reluctantly. "Alright, thanks… but it's just a loan, yeah? I'll pay you back as soon as possible."

"Obviously." Katy shrugged. "It's Amy and Matthew's money, too. I can't just go giving it away."

They finished their lunch leisurely, chatting about the holiday and what had been going on while Katy had been away. The usual amount of drama seemed to have hit the Square and the young woman sighed, shaking her head and wondering if things would ever change.

Without raising Jack's suspicions, she asked about Ben, wondering whether he'd caused any more trouble or whether things had resolved themselves. Jack shrugged, apparently not having paid much attention to things going on between the Mitchells and Katy realised that she'd have to ask Jay or Lola about it to get a straight answer.

Once her father had gone, Katy took the plates into the kitchen and thanked the staff, before heading back up to her office to arrange for the money to be transferred between accounts. She felt better once it was doing, content that it was being used for something helpful, rather than just sitting in the account doing nothing.

"Hey, boss, good to see you back."

Katy smiled at Tina as she entered the room, flopping onto the sofa with her customary grin. "Hey, yourself. I hope you've been behaving. I've just been checking through the CCTV to make sure you haven't been up to anything you shouldn't have."

"Ah, yeah, ignore all the footage of the girls I brought in here to snog." She joked. "You're looking hot, though, amazing tan."

"Thanks, babe."

"Sooo… any holiday romances to tell me about?"

"Not mine, weirdly." Katy said, pulling a face. "Gran hooked up with a guy who I swear was about my age."

"What?" Tina laughed, screwing up her own face into a similar expression. "Your gran pulled and you didn't?"

"Hey! I do have four kids to look after."

"Always the same damn excuse, Mitchell."

"Shut up, T." Katy ordered, leaning back in her chair and frowning at her. "I've got too much to do that to worry about getting tied down to someone else."

"I'm not talking about getting yourself into another relationship, I'm talking about you getting laid." Tina told her bluntly. "God, you're so uptight. Just proves my point."

"Again, shut up."

"What? Hit a nerve, did I?"

"Shut up."

"I think Leon might have a thing for you. He's not bad looking, objectively."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen. I'm his boss, for one thing. For another, I think he's getting a bit too… he was gonna intervene in an argument between me and Ben, before I went away. I sent him down to work with Kathy in the end."

"And that's a bad thing?" Tina frowned at her. "I did the same not that long ago. You and Ben are always yelling at each other."

"But that's different, ain't it?" She reasoned, shrugging. "You're you. He ain't."

"Excellent logic there, genius."

"Shut up, Tina."

The brunette started laughing, shaking her head at the younger woman's petulant expression. "Come on, Katy. Are you sure you ain't just finding faults with him 'cos he's clearly interested in you?"

"I can honestly promise you, I have absolutely no interest in Leon, other than making sure he turns up on time for his shifts."

"Alright, fine. I get it. I won't say any more about it."

"Wonderful." Katy nodded sharply at her. "Now… can you do me a favour and cover me tomorrow night?"

"You've just got back from holiday!"

"Yeah, I know, but Matthew and the twins start school on Tuesday, so I wanna spend tomorrow evening with them and actually be awake to take them to school."

"I still can't believe them and Ollie are actually old enough to be in Reception."

"I know… it's terrifying. My babies aren't babies anymore. Ruby will be in high school before I know it."

"Ahh, you've got a couple of years yet."

"Yeah, exactly, a couple of years. Her and Ricky will be in year four when they go back and Amy will be in year six."

"Kids grow up; that's what they do."

"I know. I just… I wish Mum and Rox were here to see it, you know?" Katy dropped her head back against the chair and sighed. "When we were in Ibiza, in the places where they used to go, I kept thinking I'd seen them. It's crazy, I know, but… at the bar they used to run, the restaurant we used to go to, the little boutique shops that Roxy used to love… even the supermarket."

"Just memories and ghosts, love." Tina told her gently. "It's because it was the first time you've been back since you went with them."

"I guess… just… have you ever thought that maybe…"

Smiling softly, the older woman moved around the room to perch on the desk, close enough that she could reach out and tuck a strand of hair behind Katy's ear. "They're not really gone. You and the kids are keeping them alive. Not to mention that massive picture over there."

Snorting softly, Katy pushed Tina's leg gently. "God, why are you being so soppy?"

"Yeah, that was a bit much, wasn't it?" She agreed with a shrug.

"Thanks, though."

"Anytime."

"So? You quizzed me about my, non-existent, love life. Now it's your turn."

Tina made a strangled sound and covered her face with her hands. "Mine is just as non-existent, although, unlike you, I would actually like to have one."

"You know what they say, babe… love creeps up on you when you ain't expecting it. Besides, you work in a gay bar, how much more help do you need?"

Laughing, Tina pouted at her and left the office, pretending to be in a mood. Katy chuckled as she returned her attention to the computer. Although she had done as much before she'd gone away, there was always so much paperwork to be done. Scrunching up her nose, Katy pulled the stock lists a couple of the barmaids had done that morning towards her and started checking them against the order list on her screen.

* * *

"Sorry, we're just locking up." She called over her shoulder to whoever had just entered the bar. She didn't turn to look, finishing off what she was doing and hoping that they would get the hint. She was also quite annoyed at herself for not locking the door when the others had left.

"I'm not here for a drink."

Katy dropped the bottle in her hands. It fell to the floor and smashed, almost in slow motion. She watched the glass and liquid spread across the ground, terrified to raise her gaze to fall on the woman who had spoken.

She had to be imagining what she had heard. She had definitely imagined the voice, because she knew that it was impossible that she had heard it. Clearly, the stress of everything that was happening was getting to her and she needed the holiday more than she had thought.

"Katy? Sweetie?"

Swallowing thickly, a lump rising in her throat even as she did so, Katy reluctantly turned. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides and her lip wobbled as hot tears sprang to her eyes.

She felt like her entire world was simultaneously shattering and rebuilding itself. The two women smiling at her were the only two people in the world she had wanted to see and speak to over the last two and a half years and yet, now that they were in front of her, Katy found that she didn't know what to say. The knowledge that she'd been right and they'd been alive the whole time was eclipsed by the realisation that they had never once tried to contact her at all.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Katy wondered what to do next. Ronnie and Roxy were watching her expectantly, obviously thinking that she would fall into their arms and tell them how much she'd loved and missed them. Of course she had. That went without saying. But Katy found that she couldn't actually bring herself to say it out loud.

Anger surged up inside her, coursing through her veins, the intensity of it taking her completely by surprise. The injustice of it all and everything that everyone Ronnie and Roxy had left behind had been forced to deal with in their absence crashed over her like a tsunami. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought that they could possibly expect things to just click back into place because they were back.


	36. Chapter 36

_**A/N: This is the chapter that kicked this whole fic off! **_

_**I'm dedicating it to Leah, who encouraged me to write it in the first place.**_

_**Massive thank yous to everyone who's reading/reviewing :)**_

_**x**_

* * *

Downing the vodka she had poured herself in one go, Katy refilled the glass before moving to lean against the bar opposite the older blondes. Ronnie was staring down at her own, completely untouched, drink in silence. Roxy was sipping at hers uncomfortably, totally avoiding meeting her niece's eyes.

"So?" Katy's voice was harsher than she had intended it to be. "You need to start talking now, Mum… Aunty Roxy?"

"It wasn't meant to be like this, Katy." Ronnie told her softly. She sighed at the hard, cold expression on her daughter's face. "You weren't supposed to be left behind."

"And I'm supposed to believe that, yeah?" Katy snorted derisively. "I'm just supposed to believe that–?"

"The letter." Roxy interrupted, leaning forward, apparently suddenly struck by inspiration. "Didn't you get the letter Ronnie sent?"

The triumph she felt at being proved right in the provenance of the letter was immediately eclipsed by the current situation. "Yeah, I got it… in January when we moved back to the Square."

"Oh…" Ronnie looked crestfallen. "You were supposed to get it straight away. You were supposed to ring the number and I was going to explain everything and we'd work out what to do next."

"Yeah, but I didn't get it." Katy pointed out harshly. "I'd already left by the time it arrived."

"Baby, I…"

"No." The younger woman held up her hands, backing away as Ronnie took a step towards her. "You left me and Dad and the kids. You left us to raise them without you."

"We never wanted that." Ronnie looked devastated. She moved across the room and dropped heavily onto one of the sofas, burying her head in her hands. "That is the last thing we wanted. That's why we…"

"It's why you _what_, Ronnie?"

"It's why we did it. It's why we faked our deaths." Roxy blurted out, seeing the situation escalating. She moved to sit beside her sister, laying a soothing hand on her arm.

"I think you'd better start explaining properly." Her niece told them bluntly, rounding the bar and folding her arms across her chest. "Don't miss anything out."

Ronnie sighed deeply, watching her daughter closely. Katy's expression was cold and distant; she was clearly protecting herself from being hurt again. Her mother had thought that perhaps Katy would be angry with them, but now it was obvious that that was an understatement. Ronnie wished she could have taken away the pain she'd evidently put the younger woman through, but that was impossible. All she could hope to achieve was getting Katy to understand what had happened.

"We needed to get away from here." Ronnie started. Seeing Katy rolling her eyes, she rubbed her forehead tiredly. "I know, I know… but it was really important this time."

"A matter of life and death, yeah?"

"If you don't want to know–"

"Alright, sorry…"

"Rox and I came up with a plan to fake our deaths so that we could get away and–"

"And leave us behind."

"Katy!" Roxy stood up, shaking her head. "You clearly ain't interested in actually listening to us. Give Ron a break, yeah?"

"Give her a break?" The younger woman laughed mirthlessly. "Two and a half years. It's been two and a half years and I thought you were dead! We all did. _Amy_ thought you were dead, Roxy!"

"It ain't exactly been a barrel of laughs for us either, but if you ain't gonna listen–"

As Roxy moved towards the door, Katy panicked, rushing forward and reaching out to grasp her forearm tightly, preventing her leaving. "No, wait! I'm sorry. I do want to listen, I just… it's hard, OK?"

"I know." The older woman's eyes slipped closed and she sank onto the closest sofa. "I know. But if we can just explain…"

"I'll try not to interrupt again." Katy promised. This time she sank onto the cushions beside her aunt, rather than leaning against the bar. Almost warily, Ronnie joined them. "Go on."

"We planned to fake our own deaths. We'd already spoken to Les Coker and paid him to help us. We knew that Billy and Jay wouldn't be able to handle dealing with our bodies, so we didn't have to worry about that. The hardest part was making sure the police weren't called to deal with our deaths. We bribed the hotel manager to sort that out."

"Wait… I spoke to the police when your bodies were discovered."

"They weren't police." Roxy shook her head. "They were hotel staff. We paid them."

"This sounds like you went to a hell of a lot of effort." Katy replied disbelievingly. "What was so bad that you needed to do all that just to leave? Couldn't you just… go?"

"I wish it was that easy."

"But why wasn't it? I don't understand. It feels as though you made it as dramatic as you could; paying people off to pretend you'd died… paying for a whole cast performance just to convince your family and friends that you were dead. Who the _fuck_ does that?"

"We had no choice!"

"So you keep saying, but I don't see why. What kind of trouble were you in and why you didn't tell me?" She shook her head. "You told me everything. How much shit did we get through together? I don't understand why this was different."

Ronnie sighed again, running a hand through her hair. "We were going to tell you. You were supposed to come to Coker and Sons to see me in the coffin and I was going to tell you everything. When you didn't show up, I… I wasn't sure what to do."

"Right… so all this is my fault because I couldn't face seeing you like that? Because I was too upset over my mother and aunt's tragic deaths that I didn't want to go and see their bodies? Because I was trying so hard to hold things together for the children that I couldn't bring myself to–?"

"No!" Ronnie grasped her hands and shook her head vehemently, tears in her eyes as she listened to what her daughter was saying. "Of course not! That's why I sent the letter. I was hoping you'd get it and call me and I could speak to you straight away. I didn't know you'd moved, let alone where you'd gone…"

"Sorry about that."

"Oh, baby, I don't blame you. Of course I don't blame you at all. I completely blame myself."

"I was being sarcastic!" Katy retorted angrily. "_I_ blame you, too! Two years, Mum. For two years we thought you were dead. I… I might never have seen you again. I didn't think I would see you again. Everyone thought I was going crazy… they wanted to send me to a shrink."

"It was horrible for us too."

"My heart bleeds for you." Katy muttered scathingly. "Where were you, anyway? Somewhere nice?"

"Ibiza." Ronnie admitted, wincing at the scoffing noise her daughter made in response. "We had money hidden over there. The plan was to tell you and get you all to come and join us."

"What? Just up and leave?"

"Well you did that, didn't you?" Roxy reminded her.

Katy didn't respond. "So why? You still haven't told me why all this was necessary."

"Do you remember Carl White?"

Her daughter snorted. "How could I forget? But all that was over. _We_ dealt with that."

"We thought so too." Ronnie agreed. "Rox got phone calls and notes… all threatening her about what happened to Carl. She didn't tell me at first; it's why she wanted me to adopt Amy and why she was refusing to come to Ongar with us. She was planning on leaving on her own but… I couldn't let her do that." She chewed her lip. "That was why we couldn't tell you; don't you see? The more you knew, the more danger you were in."

"Was faking your deaths and putting us through all of that really necessary, though?"

"Do you honestly think we'd have done all this if it wasn't?"

"I really don't know." Katy admitted honestly. "That's why I'm asking you."

"I promise you, sweetie, if we had any other option we'd have taken it. It nearly killed Roxy and me to be away from you all, to know that you all thought we were dead, to remember that you thought you'd never see us again. I missed you so, so much. There wasn't a day that went past without us thinking about you."

"They're nice words, Mum, but what good are words?" Her daughter asked softly, pulling her hands away from Ronnie. "Words didn't help when I was holding down three jobs and still wasn't able to make ends meet. Words didn't help when Gran had to look after four kids single-handedly because I was busy or ill."

"Katy…"

"Yeah, Glenda lived with us… still does. I genuinely don't know what I would have done without her. She was there for all of us." The young woman's words were almost spiteful, knowing the fractured relationship between the sisters and their mother. "She stepped up when you weren't there. She did everything she could to help. _She_ filled the gap that _you_ left when you did this."

"I'm glad."

"So why now?" Katy asked, looking between the two women opposite her.

Looking a little guilty, her mother bit her lip. "We… we saw you in Ibiza. At the club and then when you were with Carlos… the phone call…"

"I knew I'd seen you!" Katy exclaimed triumphantly. "I knew I wasn't imagining it."

"I told you she'd seen us." Roxy muttered, shooting her sister a look.

Katy paused for a moment, before nodding. Something inside her clenched at the realisation that they had known she was there, that they had seen her, but they still hadn't told her the truth. Tears sprang to her eyes and her bottom lip wobbled as she fought to stop them falling.

"I'm glad you're alive, of course I am," she told them quietly, "but… it broke my heart when I thought you were both dead. I couldn't cope. It almost broke me completely. I always hoped that it was wrong… that something like this would happen but I never really thought… I don't think I can just forget that you just… went. I don't think I can be happy that you're here, without remembering all that pain. I think… I think it's going to take me a while to forgive you both. And it's gonna take me a whole lot longer to trust either of you again."

"I understand that. I don't like it, but I understand." Ronnie nodded slowly, clearly not happy about her daughter's words, but apparently unwilling to argue the point and risk making things worse. She glanced at Roxy. "We should get going and let you finish locking up."

"Where are you staying?"

"Umm… we're booked into a B&B for a couple of nights." Ronnie told her.

"Right. I can't offer you a bed at ours. It's already a squash with four kids, Gran and me. Sorry."

"It's fine." Her mother assured her quickly. At the mention of Glenda her lips had pursed into a thin line, but she didn't say anything about it. "I'm hoping that when I see Jack and explain…"

"You haven't seen him yet?"

Ronnie shook her head. "We came to see you first. We only arrived an hour or so ago."

"Before you go and see him, you should know that Dad's seeing someone."

"Oh…" Ronnie blinked, as though she hadn't considered that could be a possibility. "Is… is it serious?"

"Yeah, I think so." Katy told her with a shrug. "He told me he really likes her."

Trying to keep her voice casual, her mother smiled tightly. "Anyone we know?"

"Denise Fox."

"Oh… right."

"Yeah. Amy and Ricky seem to like her, too." Katy told them, before remembering something. "Oh and Amy met Sean."

Roxy's mouth dropped open. "Sean… Slater?"

"Yeah, he turned up and got her from school one day."

"He did what?" Roxy's eyes flashed angrily.

"She was fine. He was actually really sweet… told me to watch out for her and make sure she was OK." She smiled weakly. "He didn't know you were dead. I mean… well, _now_ he thinks you're dead. He was still in love with you. You really messed up there."

Roxy opened and closed her mouth a few times, before evidently deciding against saying anything. Her head dropped a little and Katy could see the regret on her face. With a twinge of guilt at the satisfaction she felt, her niece retreated to leant against the bar once more with her arms folded.

"This is a really nice place." Ronnie said as Roxy moved towards the door. "I'm… I can't even put into words how proud of you I am."

As Katy watched them heading through the door, she chewed her lip nervously. "Are you sure it's safe for you to be back? I mean… you left because you thought you were in danger. How do you know it's safe now?"

"We've sorted it, sweetie." Ronnie promised gently, smiling at her daughter over her shoulder. "It's OK. There's nothing for you to worry about."

"Yeah? If you say so."


	37. Chapter 37

Katy locked up the R&R in a daze, running on autopilot rather than really knowing what she was doing. She hurried home, letting herself into the house and going up to her flat. As she'd suspected, Glenda had fallen asleep on her bed, the television still playing softly in the background as she shook her grandmother awake, more roughly than she intended.

"Wha–? Katy, what? What time is it? Are you alright?"

"They're back, Gran. They're alive." She blurted, unable to think clearly enough to form a coherent sentence. She paced the room, running her hands through her hair as she went. "I knew it… I told you!"

"Katherine?" Glenda sat up, resting against the headboard and frowned at her. "Are you…?"

"Mum and Aunty Roxy… they're here. They came into the R&R. They faked their deaths. They've been in Ibiza. They saw us in Ibiza… or me, anyway, and I…"

Glenda almost scowled at her, clearly thinking that she was talking nonsense. "What are you talking about, Katherine?"

"Gran… they're alive."

"How…? Why…?"

"_Gran_!" The younger woman shook her head, burying her face in her hands and bursting into anguished sobs. "They stayed away… they stayed away for two and a half years and I… what if I'd _died_? What if I'd never seen them again?" She gripped Glenda's arm tightly as she wrapped her in a hug, clinging to her grandmother as though she was the only thing stopping her drowning in her emotions. "I hate them. I really, really hate them. I wish… I wish they'd never come back."

Glenda shushed her quickly, rocking her and brushing the hair away from her face. "No, you don't, sweetheart. You could never hate them."

"I do!" Katy sobbed petulantly. "I hate them."

"Are they really back?"

Nodding, the younger woman blinked at her a couple of times. Apparently believing whatever she could see in her granddaughter's expression, Glenda drew in a deep, rattling breath and tears sprang to her eyes. She sobbed, unable to stop herself, before clutching Katy more tightly to her and burying her face in the younger woman's hair.

For a long while they just stood together and cried, unable to believe what was happening. Glenda still wasn't entirely sure what was going on but knew that Katy was telling her the truth. She knew that the younger woman wouldn't have made something like that up, let alone been so upset if it was just some trick or joke.

"What do we do, Gran?" Katy asked at last. "They're back and I… I can't… how am I supposed to trust them?"

"Don't do anything hasty." Glenda counselled her gently. "You need to get some sleep; tomorrow I'll tell Kathy you're ill and she'll have to cover you. We'll take the kids out for the day, OK? Get away from the Square for a bit so you can think."

"Thanks, Gran. That would be good." Katy exhaled slowly. "But then… I'm not going to let them dictate our lives. They can't expect me… us… to drop everything. We've got our lives, Gran… they're just going to have to deal with it."

Glenda nodded slowly, watching her carefully. Saying goodnight, she started towards the door, until she felt Katy's hand wrapping around her wrist. Turning back to look at her questioningly, she found herself fixed with a pleading expression and sighed, knowing what her granddaughter was about to request before she even opened her mouth.

Smiling weakly, Glenda settled herself on the bed before opening her arms and allowing Katy to curl into her side. Running her hand through the younger woman's hair a couple of times, she pressed a kiss to Katy's forehead and closed her eyes, guessing that neither of them was going to get much sleep that night.

* * *

Katy was up before Glenda on Monday morning, much to the older woman's surprise. She walked into the kitchen to find her granddaughter scrubbing at the already spotless counters almost feverishly. Gently taking the sponge from her hands, she propelled her into a chair and moved to boil the kettle, doing her best to keep the concern off her face. Glenda knew that Katy wouldn't take too kindly to that and, if she wanted the younger woman to cooperate, she needed to keep her onside.

"What d'you fancy doing today then, my darling?" Glenda asked lightly, placing two mugs of coffee on the table and sitting opposite her granddaughter.

"Not sure… I just… I wanna get out of Walford for a bit."

"OK, Southend it is, then." Glenda nodded decisively. "A day on the beach, bit of sea air… it'll do us all a world of good. You go and wake the kids, I'll make sure Kathy knows she's covering you."

Nodding meekly, Katy wandered in the direction of the bedrooms showing no enthusiasm for the plan at all. Neither of them felt the need to mention that they'd spent most of their week in Ibiza on the beach. Glenda tapped her mobile against her lips for a moment, wondering how best to cheer her granddaughter up, before calling Kathy and asking for her help. Her friend wasn't pleased, but she did agree to cover Katy until Tina turned up to cover her later on.

Already dressed and ready, Glenda moved across to the front window. Peering out onto the Square, she wondered whether she should believe her granddaughter's words the night before after all. If her daughters really were alive, surely she'd feel different. Yesterday she'd believed they were dead and now she'd been given hope that perhaps that wasn't true after all. She understood why Katy was struggling to come to terms with it, despite the fact that the younger woman had held onto her hope while everyone else told her it was pointless. Anger bubbled inside her as she thought about it, causing her to ball her hands into fists at her sides.

"Mummy says we're going to the beach. Are we?" Jessica asked, appearing at her side and peering up at her hopefully.

Glenda cupped the small brunette's cheek and smiled indulgently. "We are indeed, sweetheart. You can have anything you want today. My treat."

"Chips and ice cream?" Matthew demanded, as though he thought she was just tricking them.

"Chips, ice cream _and_ sweets, if you want." She agreed instantly.

The children cheered, rushing to throw their arms around her tightly. Glenda laughed and pressed kisses to the tops of their heads, before pushing them back in the direction of their bedrooms to finish getting ready. Alone once more, she directed her gaze out over the gardens again.

"If they're sick, you're dealing with it." Katy announced, the hint of a smile on her face.

Pleased to see that she had cheered up a little, Glenda shrugged. "You can have chips and ice cream too, Katherine."

"Well, obviously." Katy smiled weakly. "Thank you, Gran."

"Anything for you, my darling."

Reaching out, she cupped the younger blonde's cheek for a moment before pressing a kiss to her forehead. Then, gently pulling back, Glenda smiled at her for a moment, before moving away to hurry the children up.

They left the flat and crossed the Square quickly, the children asking why Katy was making them walk so fast. She didn't relax until they were on the train, heading out of Walford and towards the seaside. Jessica chattered happily to her mother from the seat beside her, Sophie leaning into her as she curled up on her lap. Opposite them, across the table, Glenda was reluctantly allowing Ruby to show her a game on her phone (which Katy was still annoyed with her father for buying) while Matthew stared out of the window from his seat on his grandmother's lap, incorrectly announcing that he could see the sea every couple of minutes.

It was obvious that Katy's mind was elsewhere for the majority of the day. She smiled and laughed in the right places, but there was something behind her eyes that made it very obvious to her grandmother that she was thinking about something else. It didn't take a genius to guess what that was.

"Mum, can we have chips now?" Ruby asked, skidding to a halt beside Katy's towel and showering her with sand.

Glancing at the time, her mother stretched lazily. "It's about time we should be getting home now, so–"

"Granny promised!"

"If you'd let me finish," Katy requested reproachfully, "I was about to say that we could get chips when we get back to the Square. We can do chips and movie night."

"Oh, OK." Ruby beamed at her. "Thanks, Mum."

Grumbling half-heartedly about her children being spoilt brats and it being all Glenda's fault, Katy started to gather their things. As the children came running over at her shout, she bundled them into towels and rubbed the worst of the sand and seawater off them. Glenda walked up the beach behind them, at a much more leisurely pace, rolling her eyes as Katy threatened to wrap her in a towel as well.

On the journey home, all four children dozed off, causing the two blondes to exchange amused glances. Some of the tension had lifted from the younger woman over the course of the day but, the closer they got to Walford, the more obvious it became that it was back in full force. Glenda struggled to think of something to say, to reassure her that everything would be alright, but she failed. She was also a little concerned that anything she did say would be overheard by one of the children and, clearly, Katy wasn't in a hurry to tell them about Ronnie and Roxy's return.

"I'll go to the chippy and meet you at home." Katy offered once they stepped through the turnstiles and out into the street.

Glenda nodded, guessing that she wanted five minutes peace, before herding the children in the direction of the house. She briefly wondered whether it was such a good idea, but knew she could trust her granddaughter to be sensible. Besides, she highly doubted whether Katy would go looking for her mother considering the state she was in. Either way, she would give it a little while before she started worrying.

Katy was almost in a daze as she ordered and paid for their dinner. The girl behind the counter had simply smiled and asked whether she wanted the usual, so she didn't even need to think about it. That, however, gave her the chance to let her mind wander over where Ronnie and Roxy were and what they were doing. She wondered whether they'd seen Jack, Amy and Ricky yet. Surely her dad, or her brother and sister, would have tried to speak to her if that was the case. Then she wondered whether she should give Jack a head's up before they dropped the bombshell on him.

Grabbing the bag, barely remembering to thank the girl, Katy rushed in the direction of the gardens. She was about to head for Number 27 when she remembered that the children were starving and waiting for their dinner. Biting her lip, she decided to take the food home and then go out and speak to him afterwards. At least then she wouldn't alert Matthew or the girls to anything going on.

"Last day before they're all back at school, eh?" Karen called across to Katy as she walked up the steps of Number 43. "It's been a long six weeks."

The younger woman started, not having expected to be spoken to, before turning to look at her. "Oh, yeah. Not gonna know what to do with myself."

"We should start up a single mum's club or something. We could drink and complain about men and kids."

"Don't tempt me." Katy laughed, although she severely hoped the woman was only joking.

Letting herself into the flat, she took the food into the kitchen and started plating up, calling out to the children and Glenda as she did so. There was an immediate rush and she smiled fondly as four pyjama-clad children barrelled into the room and started grabbing at plates as though there wasn't enough to go round.

"Not hungry, darling?" Glenda asked, stealing a chip off Jessica's plate as she passed and laughing softly at the indignant 'oi!' that she received in response.

"I'll leave mine in the oven and eat it when I get back." Katy told her, passing her grandmother her plate. "I need to pop over to Dad's."

"Katy, if anything had happened today I'm sure your father would have–"

"No, I know, but if they haven't… I feel like I should give him a head's up." She sighed. "I can't settle, I'm sorry. Maybe if I go and see him I'll be able to relax a bit more."

Not happy about it, but guessing that she wouldn't be able to change her mind, Glenda nodded and watched as Katy hurried out of the flat.

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you all for reading and reviewing! :)**_

_**Bennie, I don't think you're a psycho at all! Although, coming from me that probably doesn't mean much! I like your idea a lot... you'll just have to watch this space!**_

_**x**_


	38. Chapter 38

"Oi! Some best mate you are."

"What you on about?" Katy frowned, pausing as Whitney stomped across the Square towards her.

"I'm getting married in a couple of days and where've you been, eh?"

"You know where I was, Whit." She sighed. "I was on holiday with my kids."

"Yeah, well I needed you here."

Katy wrapped her arms around herself irritably. "I'm sorry, yeah. I'm back now and I'll do whatever you want me to do. I'll make it up to you, OK?"

"Well… letting me have my hen night at the R&R would be a start."

"Goes without saying."

"With a few free bottles of Prosecco?"

"Now you're pushing it."

"Billy offered it if we went to the E20." Whitney shrugged.

"Go over the E20, then." Katy replied immediately. When Whitney frowned at her, she grinned. "I'm kidding. Of course you can have a few bottles of Prosecco."

"Right, good. It's tomorrow, by the way."

Katy frowned. "_Tomorrow_?"

"Yeah, you were gone a week, Katy. My wedding is on Wednesday. You'd better not give me some shitty excuse and bail. At least you can't use work because I'm actually having the hen at _your_ bar."

"Alright, alright! Tomorrow night, I've got it."

Reaching out and squeezing her arm affectionately, Katy continued her journey across the gardens to Jack's house. She waited impatiently for someone to answer the door, barely sparing Max a smile as he looked out at her questioningly.

"Is Dad in? I need to speak to him. It's important."

"He's over at Walford East with Denise." Max told her, folding his arms and shrugging. "Anything I can do to help?"

Katy shook her head, already halfway down the steps. "No. Thanks, Uncle Max."

Not even thinking about the fact that blurting out the news in the restaurant was probably a terrible idea, the young woman hurried away. She kept her head down, not wanting to attract attention or be distracted until she managed to find her father. Having no idea how he would take the news, she briefly considered keeping the information to herself. Almost immediately she changed her mind, knowing that she needed to tell him the truth as soon as possible.

Crashing through the door, Katy ignored the disapproving looks from other diners. Her eyes moved wildly around the room in search of her father and his girlfriend, finally spotting them near the bar. They didn't notice her until she slid into the booth beside Jack and looked at him seriously.

"Uhh…? Can we help you?"

"What?" She blinked, before waving a hand dismissively at Denise. "Oh, sorry… date night. Dad, I really need to talk to you."

"What've you done?"

"Nothing!"

"You in trouble?"

"No, will you just listen for one second!" Katy snapped, glaring at him. Jack's expression darkened even more as he considered all the issues that she could have got herself involved with. "Dad, seriously, stop. I'm fine. Mum and Roxy are alive."

Jack exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Are you fucking kidding me? I thought you had something serious to tell me."

"I am serious." She replied angrily. "They're alive and I've seen them and I've spoken to them and… they're back, Dad. Mum and Roxy are back."

Standing up abruptly, Jack grasped his daughter by the arm and shoved her out of the booth. "Sorry, D. I'll be as quick as I can."

Denise nodded, looking exasperated by the younger woman's antics. She propped her chin on her palm and took a long gulp of her wine as Jack bundled Katy out of the restaurant.

"Get off me!" Katy pushed him away, stumbling backwards a couple of steps as she ripped herself out of his grip. Straightening her cardigan, she glared at him. "I'm telling the truth!"

"Katy, they're dead!" He reminded her forcefully. "They ain't on holiday. This isn't just something they can come back from. They _can't_ be back."

"They are! I keep telling you, I saw them."

"Are you on something?" Jack was suddenly concerned, reaching out to her. "Whatever it is, we'll get you help, alright?"

"For fuck's sake!" Katy threw up her hands in frustration. "I'm not on anything. I wouldn't do that." Putting her head in her hands for a minute, she tried to calm down, knowing that it was the only way she'd get through to him. "Look, just… come to the bar with me and look at the CCTV. I promise you I'm telling the truth."

"Look, I know you said you didn't need to see anyone, but maybe–"

She balled her hands into fists. "Dad, why aren't you listening to me? I can give you proof that they're alive and they're in Walford. Mum will want to speak to you… she's your wife. I'm trying to give you a head's up, here."

"Ronnie is dead." Jack spat at her, furious that she wouldn't let it lie. "Roxy is dead. They're not here and they're not coming back."

"Why are you so adamant that I can't be right about this?" Katy demanded. "Why are you so set against believing that maybe they're not dead. They told me that they faked their deaths, they told me how and they told me why."

"I saw Ronnie's body, Katy." He reminded her. "I saw her, lying in her coffin, dead. She is dead. My wife is dead. Your mother is dead. They're not alive and they're not here!"

"Hello, Jack."

If she hadn't been so furious, Katy would have laughed at the expression on her father's face. He looked as though he was looking at a ghost, which, she had to admit, he probably thought he was. She turned and her eyes fell on her mother standing, as though she didn't have a care in the world, in the middle of the street. There was a soft smile on her face as she regarded the pair.

"I fucking told you." Katy snapped at her father, before turning and striding away towards home.

She didn't get very far, before changing her mind and changing direction. The R&R was busy, perhaps even busier than normal. The sight should have filled Katy with relief that the accounts were hopefully going to be healthier this month, but she just found herself frustrated that there were more people to push her way through before she made it to the sanctuary of her office.

"T?" Katy leant over the bar and caught her assistant manager's attention. "Office, now."

Looking concerned, clearly wondering why Katy had spoken to her in such an abrupt manner, the brunette nodded. She quickly passed on the order she was partway through sorting to Poppy, shrugging when the barmaid asked what was going on with their boss, before heading up the stairs. It was only as she pushed open the office door, she realised that Katy had used her nickname and so she probably wasn't in trouble.

"What's wrong?" She asked immediately. Now that she could see the younger woman properly, she knew that something serious had happened. She was pacing across the office agitatedly, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Are you OK? Is it the kids?"

"What? No. No, they're fine. It's… I thought they were dead but they're not and they're here and I thought I'd be happy if that happened but I'm not and I don't know… I should be happy. But I can't… I can't think what to do. I don't _know_ what I should do."

Tina stepped forward, grasping her hand and stopping her pacing. She looked at Katy carefully, before pushing her down onto the sofa and moving to rummage in the desk drawer where she knew, for a fact, that the blonde kept a bottle of vodka and a glass. Pouring a healthy measure out, Tina pushed it into Katy's hand, before sitting beside her.

"Start again. Who's here?"

"My mum and Roxy." Katy muttered, taking a gulp of the spirit and wincing a little as it burnt its way down her throat. Seeing the expression on Tina's face, she shook her head. "I'm not mad, Tina. They're here." Standing up, she moved to the computer and brought up the CCTV footage from the night before, searching through it until she found proof. "Look!"

Disbelievingly, Tina moved to stand beside the younger woman, peering at the screen. "Oh my god…"

"They're not fucking dead."

"But that's… good, right?"

"Of course it is." Katy sighed, shaking her head and moving around the room to drop heavily on the sofa once more. She waited until her friend dropped down beside her. "But… two and a half years."

"Why…? What happened?"

"Roxy was being threatened. They faked their deaths but it went wrong. I was supposed to find out straight away, but obviously…" She exhaled sharply. "How could they do this and then just turn up here and expect everything to be the same?"

"Are you sure they're expecting that?"

Katy looked at her in disbelief. "Of course they expect that, T. They're so _fucking_ selfish. They've waltzed back here expecting to just slot back in and for everyone to just… deal… with the fact they abandoned us for years."

Tina shrugged. "Right, so… you don't let them get away with it, then. You're Katy Mitchell. You do what you want and don't let anyone get away with shit. If that's really what you want to do, you make them work for your forgiveness."

"Oh, I'm intending to do that, alright."

"Does anyone else know?"

"Just Dad and Gran, as far as I know." She shrugged. "Although they've probably spoken to Phil by now."

Hearing the bitterness in her tone, she pulled Katy into her arms. "Look, babe, I'm here for you, OK? Whatever you need. If you need to rant, to cry, to talk things through… even if you just need a drink or a break… I'm here."

"Thanks, T. I appreciate it."

"Anytime, I mean it, yeah?"

"I know."

Reluctantly, Katy pulled back from the hug, smiling weakly at the older woman. Tina watched her closely for a moment, before nodding sharply and returning the smile. She hesitated as Katy rounded her desk and wiggled the mouse to bring the computer back to life.

"I've told Whit she can have the hen here tomorrow night." Katy said, business-like once more. Tina wasn't fooled for a second by the blonde's defence mechanism. "How are we looking stock wise? Shall I get an emergency delivery in the morning?"

"We could probably do with some more Prosecco."

"Yeah, I kinda offered some free bottles. Apparently Billy did over at E20 and I wanted to make sure they came here, rather than there."

"I said I'd cover for Mick and Linda over at the Vic tomorrow, so I won't be here."

Looking up sharply, Katy's face dropped. "Oh…"

"Sorry, I know it's kinda leaving you in the lurch. Kathy said she'd work, though."

"It's not that… I just thought you'd be here, that's all."

With an apologetic shrug, Tina motioned that she should probably get back to work. Katy nodded and sent her a smile that didn't meet her eyes, before dropping her gaze to the computer once more. She sighed and hastily put in her order with the company they always used, wincing at the extortionate delivery fees to make sure they got the stock by the next day.

Then she shut the computer down and decided that she should probably head home and explain what had happened that evening to Glenda.


	39. Chapter 39

If any of the children had noticed that Katy was more agitated than normal, they didn't mention it. They were too caught up in their own lives, wanting to talk about nothing more than their first days at school when she picked them up on Tuesday afternoon.

Katy had worked from home that day, wary about running into anyone. She had avoided her father and her grandmother, pretending to be too busy to stop for a chat when she bumped into Jack on her way back from dropping the children at school. He had called after her, but she'd kept her head down and sped up until she'd closed the flat door behind her.

She also left leaving for Whitney's hen night to the last possible minute, smiling weakly as she passed Glenda in the living room. Her grandmother made a comment about her outfit, telling her that she'd expected her to be a bit more dressed up, but Katy just ignored her and promised she wouldn't be home too late.

As if walking on eggshells, she headed quickly towards the R&R. She felt as though each time she turned a corner, or walked past an alleyway or gap in the walls, they would be standing there. Katy was terrified that she'd bump into the women who had plagued her thoughts for the last couple of days.

"Katy!"

Apparently she was later than she thought. The rest of the women were already gathered and, by the looks of it, some of them were already several drinks in. Despite knowing that Tina was working at the pub, Katy looked around for her hopefully. Pushing a glass into her hand, Whitney beamed at her best friend.

"Thanks so much for doing this." The younger woman gushed, pulling her into a hug.

"Don't mention it."

"You should have come to Chantelle's earlier."

Katy smiled weakly. "I had the kids until Gran came over."

"Well I'm glad you're here anyway." She grabbed her hand and dragged her over to where the rest of the hens were. "We're playing a game, come on!" Beaming around, she pushed the blonde into the middle of the group. "Katy's here!"

There was a cheer, although Katy assumed it was partly because they'd already had quite a lot to drink and partly because she'd provided the free ones. Sonia beamed at her, telling her she was glad to see her letting her hair down for once, while Linda beamed at her fondly. Tiffany and Lola immediately sidled up to their cousin, muttering about the old people high-jacking the event.

"OK… drink if you've ever… kissed your boss!" Chantelle said, looking around at the group.

When Rainie took a look gulp, everyone looked at her. "Pimp counts as a boss, right?"

Katy spotted an odd look passing between Whitney and Linda, but didn't mention it. Neither of them commented either, so she was glad she'd let it lie. Putting two and two together, Katy deduced that clearly something had happened between Whitney and Mick while she'd been away.

"Alcohol is so wasted on you people."

"Actually," Linda nodded determinedly, "I will get that free drink. Come on, Karen, you can help me. Come on."

"What?"

Linda took no notice of her confusion, dragging her away in the direction of the bar. Furrowing her eyebrows at Whitney, who simply shrugged, smiled weakly and looked away, Katy wondered if there was something more that she should know about. Sighing, she nodded as Lola suggested they get shots. She signalled to Poppy to pour drinks for the party, before noticing that Whitney seemed to have disappeared.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Hmmm?"

"You've really got boring since you came back, K." Lola teased. "Come on, loosen up a bit."

"I'm just not in the mood, Lo. Sorry." She shook her head, thanking the barmaid and knocking her shot back quickly.

"Why? Has something happened?"

"No." Running a hand through her hair, Katy shrugged. "I'm tired, that's all."

Rolling her eyes, Lola handed her another shot, before pulling her back over to the others.

"Here!" Chantelle handed Katy a straw. She beamed as the blonde looked at it in slight distain at the almost fluorescent green plastic penis that was attached to it.

"Oh? Is that really necessary?" Sonia asked, apparently sharing her cousin's opinion on it.

"I've been asking myself that for many a year." Karen joked.

"So's Sonia." Mo threw in quickly.

As the others started to laugh raucously at her words, Linda held up her hand. "OK, OK… I've got one. Drink if you ever wore eatable underwear."

"D'you mean edible?" Tiffany asked.

Sonia frowned at her niece. "What would you know about that?"

"Alright, alright!" Linda rolled her eyes. "Knickers what you can eat. Drink if you ever… go!"

Katy kept her drink still, watching with a raised eyebrow as several of the others drank.

"Right, I've got one!" Whitney exclaimed. "I've got one. Drink if you've ever got it on with Ian Beale."

"Bottoms up, girls!" Rainie said, drinking yet again.

"'Ere, I hope that's diet or she'll have no teeth left in the morning." Karen quipped, causing everyone to laugh again.

The mood turned on its head as Rainie started spluttering. For a moment Katy thought she was about to be sick, sighing and trying to catch one of the bar staff's eyes, until Sonia realised that the other woman was choking. As the others panicked and her cousin performed the Heimlich manoeuvre, Katy motioned for Poppy to pass her a glass of water.

She almost spilt the water as the plastic penis flew out of Rainie's mouth, across the room and smacked Mo straight in the face. For the first time in days Katy actually laughed. The familiar ache that came from laughing that hard was a welcome release for the young woman, who had to cling onto Lola to stop herself falling over.

"I'm so sorry, Mo!"

"Are you alright?"

Lola swatted rapidly at Katy's arm as she tried to stop laughing for long enough to speak. "I've got one! Drink if you've ever seen a pensioner hit by a plastic willy!"

"This is my song!" Linda announced as they fell about laughing hysterically.

She grabbed Whitney by the hand and dragged her over to a space on the floor where they could dance. Still giggling, Katy handed Rainie the glass of water, before telling Poppy to give her another lemonade on the house. The older woman smiled gratefully as Katy was pulled away by Lola and Tiffany to join in the dancing.

"Boss? Have you got two minutes?" Deena winced as she approached the blonde, pulling her attention away from the hens.

Katy apologised, ignoring the complaints from the others as she headed away to see what needed dealing with. "What's wrong?"

"There's a woman waiting for you in the office. Apparently it's important."

"Who is it?"

"No idea… some stroppy blonde."

Immediately the young woman was on edge. She knew who'd be in her office before she opened the door. Katy had the irrational urge to turn around and refuse to deal with the situation, but Deena was already curious enough and she couldn't exactly just leave things as they were. Inhaling sharply, she shot the barmaid a tense smile, before pushing open the door and stepping inside.

"What can I do for you?"

Ronnie smiled proudly at her. "I really do love what you've done with this place."

"Why are you here?"

"Katy…"

"Look, I need to get back out there. It's Whit's hen night and she's already pissed off enough that I wasn't here last week."

"Who's she marrying?"

"No one you know."

"I'm trying here." Ronnie sighed sadly. "Can't you just give me–?"

Her daughter gritted her teeth. "I'm not giving you anything until everyone out there knows that I'm not crazy. How can you expect me to even start thinking about trying to put things back on track, until people stop thinking I've completely lost my mind if I mention having spoken to you."

"We haven't seen the kids yet." The older woman said softly. "Please… let us at least explain things to them before everyone else knows."

"Have I stopped you?" Katy snapped. "In the last couple of days have you even attempted to come and see the kids? Have you even attempted to come and see _me_?"

"We weren't sure we'd be welcome." Ronnie admitted.

"This is way past whether you're welcome or not." Katy told her angrily, shaking her head. "You messed with our lives, our heads. You're still doing it! Dad wanted to send me to a shrink. He thought I was psychotic. He was this close to dragging me into hospital and trying to get me help." She laughed mirthlessly. "But there's nothing wrong with my head, apart from what _you've_ done to it."

"I was wrong, OK?" Her mother shouted. "Is that what you want to hear? I was wrong. I messed up."

"Yes!" Katy almost screamed back. "Yes, that is _exactly_ what I wanted to hear! You came back two and a half years after fucking bailing on us and then you pretty much blamed me. You said it was my fault that I didn't know what you were planning. My fault because I was devastated because I thought my mother and my aunt had just fucking _died_." Turning, she made to storm out of her office, before changing her mind and whirling round again, jabbing a finger in Ronnie's direction. "Don't you fucking _dare_ come back here and start making out you're the injured party because I'm not fucking dancing on the rooftops to see you. What me and them kids have been through since you left… you have no fucking clue!"

"I don't know–"

"No, that's right, you don't! And you know what? You haven't even asked. You haven't once asked me about your _son_, let alone your granddaughters." She scoffed angrily. "What? Have you built yourself a nice new life in Ibiza? Got a new family? Don't want to bother with the old one anymore?"

There was a loud cracking sound and it took Katy a moment or two to realise that her mother had slapped her. She knew she probably deserved it, but as she raised her hand to rub her tender cheek, she narrowed her eyes at the older blonde. Ronnie looked horrified at what she'd done, stepping forward with her hand outstretched towards her daughter. Katy flinched away from her, narrowing her eyes.

"What do you even want from me, Ronnie?" She asked, her voice now much quieter and less emotional. "If you want the money back, Dad's got it."

"Money? What? No!" She shook her head vehemently. "Of course I don't want the– Katy, please. I want to make this right. I've missed you – and the kids – so, so much. I love you, sweetie. I just want the chance to make it up to you."

"Well I'm not sure I'm ready to give it to you." Katy told her honestly.

A long silence followed her words. Ronnie blinked several times, realising that her daughter was deadly serious and it wasn't going to be as easy to get round the younger blonde as she had anticipated. Katy held her ground, folding her arms across her chest and staring blankly at her.

"Can I at least come and see the kids, tomorrow?" Ronnie requested softly after the tension got too much for her to deal with.

"They'll be at school. Were you aware that Matthew and the twins started at Walford Primary today?"

Her mother flinched at the coldness in her tone. "Of course, I… After school, then?"

"They're having the afternoon off for Whitney's wedding."

"Katy, please."

Staring at her and seeing the hurt in her eyes, Katy relented slightly. "Fine. Come to the house at half twelve. Number 43."

"Thank you. I promise you I'll make it up to you. All of you."

"You better."

She opened the door and stood aside to let Ronnie pass. Her mother sighed, gazing at her sadly for a moment, before walking out into the hubbub outside. Katy shut the door firmly behind her, leaning against it heavily and letting her eyes slip shut. A couple of treacherous tears spilled down her cheeks, but she rubbed them away angrily, before pulling herself together.

When she returned to the party, there was no sign of Whitney anywhere. The only answers she received when she asked where the other woman was were shrugs. Tiffany said something about Callum appearing and the pair of them leaving together. Katy shrugged and accepted the drink Lola held out to her, deciding to make the most of the evening, before everything came out.


	40. Chapter 40

Katy woke slowly the next morning, covering her eyes with a hand and groaning loudly. Her head was pounding and, from the way her stomach was churning, she felt as though she'd swallowed a concrete mixer. Sitting up, she reached out for her phone on the bedside cabinet, but was met by only thin air. Crackling open one eye, she was surprised to see that she wasn't in her bedroom at all.

Instead she was sprawled across the sofa in her office and she groaned again, trying to remember what had happened after she'd spoken to her mother. Pulling herself into a seated position, she glanced sideways and caught sight of another figure on the sofa, lodged between her and the back of the seat. Her stomach lurched at the realisation that, from the sight of the man beside her and the fact that she didn't seem to be wearing many of her clothes, she must have slept with whoever it was. Internally cursing herself, she shoved the man, none to gently, in the shoulder.

He blinked sleepily, before grinning at her. Katy didn't return the expression, standing up and moving towards her desk where her top was lying.

"Uhh… listen…"

"Matt."

"Right. Matt." She nodded awkwardly. "Last night was… but I've got a lot to do, so…"

"Message received." He nodded, standing up and retrieving his t-shirt. "I won't bother to ask for your number, then."

"Sorry, I just…"

"It's fine. I had a great time, though."

Katy wriggled into her skirt, before rounding her desk and sitting stiffly in her chair. She waited until he'd dressed and left before burying her head in her hands and exhaling sharply. There were enough things for her to deal with without adding extra complications that were entirely unnecessary.

Glancing at the time, she realised that she would be able to head home and take a quick shower before taking the children to school. Hurrying downstairs, she gave the bar a cursory once over to make sure nothing was out of place, before locking up and heading back to the flat. Everything was silent when she let herself in, much to her relief.

"Good night?"

Katy jumped as she wandered into the kitchen after her shower, rubbing her hair with a towel and already thinking about what she needed to do that day. Glenda was seated at the table, sipping on a mug of coffee. Another sat on the surface and Katy smiled gratefully at her, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head as she passed.

"Not bad, thanks."

"What time did you get in? Did you sleep on the sofa? I didn't hear you."

"I'm not sure what time it was." Katy lied, turning away and opening the fridge. "It's a bit of a blur, to be honest. Mum turned up and wanted to speak to me."

Glenda frowned. "She did what?"

"She… I said she can come round and see you and the kids later." Katy held up a hand as her grandmother opened her mouth to complain. "What was I supposed to do, Gran? Matthew is her son. I said that I couldn't even start to think about any sort of reconciliation while everyone would think I was mental if I mentioned speaking to her and she asked to see the kids."

"What about Whitney's wedding?"

"I told her they were going. She'll just have to be quick."

Glenda frowned at her. "Are you sure this is fair to them?"

"No." She admitted. "I'm not sure at all. I'm not sure about anything, Gran. I don't know what to do."

"You always work it out."

Katy shook her head. "Gran, I'm serious. I don't know what to do. I… I'm so angry with them. But… It's Mum and Roxy. I just… help me, please?"

"I can't tell you what to do, darling." Glenda said softly. "I can't make the decision for you. They're my daughters and I love them, but you know what our relationship was like. They haven't attempted to see me yet, so what does that tell you?"

"I won't choose them over you, Gran." The younger blonde assured her. "Not after everything you've done for me and the kids. I'm grateful, you know that, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"I don't think I can deal with all this." Katy shook her head agitatedly. "I'm not… I'm not strong enough for this."

"Don't be ridiculous." Glenda told her firmly. "You're more than strong enough to deal with this. Out of everyone I know, I have the most faith in you being able to handle this situation."

"But I don't want to."

"I know, darling."

Katy took a deep breath and glanced at the time. "Can you take the kids to school? I've got stuff to do before the wedding."

"Of course." Glenda nodded slowly. As Katy placed her mug in the sink and made to leave the kitchen, she caught hold of her arm and smiled. "Don't over do it, sweetheart. None of this is worth risking your health for."

Shooting her a weak smile, the younger blonde gathered her things and headed out of the flat. It was still early and there was barely anyone around in the Square. The stallholders were setting up and Katy responded to the smiles and greetings that were sent her way, before ducking into the café and ordering a coffee to go. She could have made one when she got to the bar, but she couldn't be bothered.

Kathy shot her a curious look, commenting that she looked tired. Shaking her head, Katy assured her that she was fine and left quickly, keeping her head down. Not having the strength or desire to start clearing up, she went straight up to her office and shut the door firmly behind her. Moving to open the window, she exhaled sharply at the fresh breeze, closing her eyes and taking a couple of moments before moving to her desk.

The morning passed in a blur and it was soon time for Katy to go and pick the children up early from school. She took them home, glancing at the time. Seeing that her granddaughter was struggling, Glenda reluctantly offered to stay with the children and wait for Ronnie. Pressing a kiss to her cheek gratefully, Katy escaped back to the sanctuary of the bar. They all still needed to get ready and she knew they were going to be late for the wedding – and Whitney was going to kill her – but she couldn't face hearing the conversation that would be taking place in the flat.

Glenda tried to deflect the children's questions about why Katy had gone out, encouraging them to go and change into their outfits for the wedding. Already changed, the blonde started pacing impatiently, dreading the sound of the doorbell.

"Granny… can you do my bow?" Sophie asked, making Glenda jump as she appeared in the living room.

With a weak smile, Glenda turned her great-granddaughter around and tied the ribbon around her waist securely, pressing a kiss to the top of her head when it was done. Sophie beamed at her before skipping out of the room. There was no time for Glenda to relax, however, as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Ruby shouted.

"No!" Moving quickly to block her path, Glenda shook her head. "I'll get it."

"Why?"

"Just… get Matthew and your sisters and sit on the sofa, OK? There's someone… someone's come to see you."

"Is it Dad?"

Glenda shook her head again. "No. You'll see in a minute."

Ruby furrowed her eyebrows, but did as she'd been asked and gathered the others quickly. Glenda waited until they were out of sight before opening the front door and getting her first look at her daughter in almost three years. Ronnie blinked, apparently not having expected to see the older woman in the doorway.

"So it's true."

"I'm here to see my children and my granddaughters."

"Katy's not here." Glenda told her bluntly. "She had somewhere else she needed to be." Sadness flickered through Ronnie's eyes, but her mother ignored it. "If you're coming in, you should hurry up. We've got a wedding to get to in… twenty minutes."

Nodding resolutely, the younger blonde stalked into the living room. She faltered at the sight of the four children sitting on the sofa, hesitating before moving to kneel on the carpet in front of them. She smiled gently, doing her best not to upset or frighten them.

"Do you remember me?" She asked gently, looking uncertain when they simply stared blankly at her. "Matthew, I'm your mummy and I'm your Grandma, girls."

Matthew glanced at Glenda for confirmation, his eyebrows furrowing as she smiled weakly and looked away. "You can't be. My mum's dead."

Shaking her head quickly, Ronnie placed a hand on his knee. "No, sweetie. Me and your Aunty Roxy had to go away for a while, but we thought about you all every day. We're back now and we really want to make it up to you."

"Why did you have to go away?" Jessica asked curiously.

"Something happened and we needed to make sure you were all safe. That meant we had to leave you for a little while. We didn't want to, but we had to go."

"Why did you have to be dead?"

"To keep you safe, sweetie."

"Are you staying?" Matthew asked her.

"Or are you going to be dead again?" Jess added.

Ronnie shook her head. "I promise you, I'm not going away again."

Ruby slid off the sofa and scowled at her. "You made Mum sad. She cried and cried when you were gone and Dad said it was the grief that made her sick. I heard Granny telling him he was probably right."

"Ruby…" Glenda looked stricken. "Darling, when did you–?"

"I don't want you to be here if you're going to make Mum sad again." The seven-year-old continued. "I don't want you to make her sick again. She might die this time."

"I… sweetie, I…"

"Ruby, your Mum is alright now." Glenda assured her, ignoring her daughter's expression. "You know she is. I won't let her get upset again, I promise you."

The little girl threw herself into her grandmother's arms, burning her face in Glenda's shirt. "I want her to go, Granny. Where's Mum?"

"She's with Aunty Whitney and Aunty Sonia sorting things out for the wedding." Raising her gaze and meeting Ronnie's, she straightened quickly. "I think you should go, now. I don't want you upsetting them."

"They're my family, Glenda." Ronnie shot back. "I just want to… can I at least get a hug?"

As she turned to Matthew and the twins hopefully, all three four-year-olds glanced towards Glenda for guidance. She smiled reassuringly at them, her arms still wrapped around Ruby. Sophie hesitantly shuffled forwards on the sofa, as if she was going to comply with her grandmother's request, but Jessica shook her head at her sister. Matthew glanced over towards his grandmother again.

"I want Katy." He said bluntly. "Why isn't she here?"

"If you're all ready, we'll go and find her, OK?" Glenda suggested, smiling reassuringly at the children. She turned a hard glare on her daughter. "I think it's time you left."


	41. Chapter 41

Despite being convinced that they would walk into the room after the wedding had already started, Katy was surprised that they were, if anything, early. She had been given a quick recap of the conversation that had taken place at the flat when Glenda brought the children over to the R&R in search of her and had been absolutely horrified to hear what Ruby had said. They'd been even later leaving for the registry office because she'd sat her eldest daughter down and assured her that she wasn't going to get ill just because Ronnie had come back.

Ruby hadn't looked entirely convinced, but after Katy had promised that her last hospital visit had confirmed that her cancer wasn't back, she seemed to cheer up a little. She was, however, clinging to her mother and refusing to let go. When they took their seats in the row behind Jack and Denise, the eight-year-old had climbed onto her mother's lap and refused to move.

"What's the hold up?" Katy asked, leaning forward and tapping Jack on the shoulder.

"Oh, you're talking to me today, are you?"

"Dad." She shot him an irritated look. "You wouldn't believe me. I was angry, OK?"

"I still can't believe…"

"Not here, yeah." Katy muttered, shaking her head. "Later."

He watched her for a moment, before nodding sharply. "Bianca and Kat got themselves banged up last night."

"B's back?" The young woman beamed, the thought of seeing her cousin cheering her up immensely. "Trust her to get nicked the night before Whit's wedding."

"She never changes…" Jack agreed. "Why were you so late, anyway?"

"I'll explain later."

"Grandma Ronnie came back to life." Ruby told him.

Jack and Katy both shifted in their seats, glancing round to make sure no one else had heard. As the blonde quickly shushed her daughter, Jack stared at them inquiringly. Katy sighed at his expression, shaking her head.

"I'll explain later." She repeated.

He was evidently about to say something when they were interrupted by the music playing and Whitney appearing in the doorway at the back of the room. Katy smiled softly at the sight of her friend. Whitney looked beautiful in a dress that was completely her (although Katy would never have been seen dead in something like it). Her expression faltered slightly as the smile seemed to drop from her friend's face and she hesitated before walking towards Callum and the registrar.

Bianca slipped into the room, almost unnoticed before Whitney reached the front. The expression on her face was even more bewildering to the blonde, as she seemed less than happy to watch her daughter get married. Katy had expected Bianca to be the life and soul of the party, as she usually was, particularly seeing as she and Kat had spent the previous night in a cell.

They sat and listened to the registrar talk, until it was time for the couple to say their vows. Katy only half listened as Callum spoke, her mind wandering off to other things. It wasn't that she disliked the young man, or wanted anything less than the best for her friend, but she also couldn't find it in herself to give the wedding any more than a small percentage of her attention.

She only really tuned in as Whitney broke off in the middle of her vows, apologising and making a hasty retreat from the room. Everyone turned to watch her leave before Callum, then Mick and Bianca, followed her path. Katy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, exchanging a look with Sonia who was frowning after her sister.

"So… is the wedding off?" Katy asked her grandmother, who simply shrugged. Glenda looked mildly amused by the events and the younger woman rolled her eyes fondly.

They joined the others milling around in the foyer, unsure as to what was happening. With four children to keep occupied, Katy decided that they should head back to the Square as soon as someone mentioned the reception, knowing that a plate of food was probably the best way to achieve some peace and quiet. She and Glenda herded Matthew and the girls into a taxi and sat back, discussing the situation quietly as they headed towards home.

There was already a crowd gathering in the Vic, although there was no sign of Whitney or Callum anywhere. Katy ushered the kids in the direction of a booth, before catching sight of her cousin talking to Jack and Sonia at the bar.

"B!" Katy squealed with excitement, rushing forward and hugging her tightly. "I'm so happy to see you."

"You, too, kiddo." The redhead replied, returning the hug with just as much affection. Then she pulled back and looked at the gaggle of children trailing in the younger woman's wake. "No way! Ruby?"

Katy laughed, shaking her head and pushing her eldest daughter forward. "Nah, that's Sophie. This is Ruby. You remember your Aunty Bianca, right?"

"Of course." The eight-year-old replied, rolling her eyes at her mother.

"And this is Sophie and Jessica… and Matthew."

Bianca looked between them in surprise, before squealing and pulling them all into a hug at the same time. "You've all got so big!"

Nodding as they asked if they could get some food, Katy laughed as they sped away, dodging between people to find something to eat. Before she could turn back to engage the redhead in conversation, Bianca had gone and Katy sighed, moving over to the buffet table to keep an eye on her children.

"I'll take the kids home and you can stay here and enjoy yourself." Glenda offered a while later, wrapping an arm around her granddaughter's waist and smiling gently at her. "It'll do you good to relax for a while."

"Only if you're sure." Katy agreed, looking as though she couldn't quite believe the older woman had made the offer.

"Of course."

Saying goodnight to the children, Katy leant in the Vic doorway and waved as they wandered across the gardens with Glenda. She turned and went back into the party, grinning at her father as he offered to get a round in.

Thankfully Jack didn't seem keen to start a conversation about Ronnie, much to Katy's relief. She joined him at the bar, chatting with Max, Robbie, Bianca and Sonia, listening to the older woman talking about her life back in Milton Keynes. Katy thought that, perhaps, there was something Bianca was holding back but, considering everything she was hiding at the moment, she didn't press her for more information.

"I'm just gonna ring Denise." Jack said, leaning in to speak into Katy's ear. "She was just popping back to change her shoes… she shoulda been here by now."

"You don't think she's bumped into Ronnie, do you?" His daughter asked, frowning at the idea.

"I hope not."

Smiling, she watched him leave the pub, before turning back to her conversation with Bianca and Sonia. After a couple of minutes, Mel appeared and they heard her asking their uncle where Jack was. Immediately on her guard, Katy tuned into the conversation, wondering what the other blonde wanted with her father.

"He popped out to make a call I think." Max told her with a shrug.

"Popped out where?"

"I dunno… You want me to pass a message on, or…"

She turned and walked off without answering, causing Bianca to lean in and ask what was going on between her and Jack. Katy shook her head and rolled her eyes, leaving Sonia to try and explain the situation as best she knew, which wasn't very much at all. When they both turned to Katy, asking her what she knew, she simply shrugged and said she refused to have anything to do with whatever had gone on between them seeing as she didn't trust Mel at all.

That clearly piqued the sisters' interest, but Katy simply shrugged and told them that she couldn't give them any specific reason; it was just a feeling. The conversation turned round to their kids, with Sonia bemoaning Bex's apparent disinterest in actually going to University. Katy tried to remind her that it wasn't for everyone, but her cousin barely stopped talking long enough to listen to her.

They only stopped talking as they overheard someone speculating on why the wedding hadn't gone ahead. Bianca scowled at the back of the woman's head as she passed, causing the other two to lay their hands on her arms, in a mixture of attempting to soothe and restrain her. Katy shook her head and tried to remind Bianca that no one who knew Whitney would ever think badly of her.

"I've had enough of this…" The redhead ground out, pushing through the guests and making her way up to the microphone. "Hello? Hello everyone." Her family immediately looked away with expressions of acute embarrassment on their faces as they wondered what was coming. "Right, for those of you calling my Whit a slapper, I just wanna remind you I've got a mean right hook!" She laughed. At the table, Katy sensed everyone letting out a sigh of relief that she hadn't said anything worse. "So, errr… Whit had her reasons for not going through with the wedding today and, well, because I respect her, I ain't gonna say nothing…"

"Is this what they call personal growth?" Katy muttered to her uncle and cousins.

"Other than… she ain't the one with something to hide."

Katy covered her face as Robbie, Max and Sonia all turned to glare at her. "Spoke too soon."

"Never thought he had it in him." Mo chipped in.

There was a slightly awkward silence as all eyes turned to look at the woman, who shrugged and frowned back. Katy took a long gulp of her drink to stop herself snorting with amusement at the situation and earning herself similar glares.

"Right, who fancies a bit of karaoke?" Bianca suggested. "Kat? Kat! Come on… you won't let us down, will ya?"

As she was beckoned onto the stage, encouraging calls and claps from around her, Kat shrugged and disentangled herself from Kush. "Yeah, alright."

Sinking back into the cushions, Katy shook her head as Robbie started teasing her about what song she'd perform when it was her turn. She had absolutely no intention of getting on the stage and singing anything. Her resolve deepened even further when Max reminded her of the times she'd got up and done karaoke with her mother and Roxy.

A dark look crossed her face and she stood abruptly, saying she was going to speak to Tiffany who had just walked into the pub. None of them attempted to stop her, although they did shoot curious looking in her direction, clearly wondering about the cause of her sudden bad mood.

"You alright, darlin'?" She asked, joining the teenager and her boyfriend.

"Yeah, fine, you?"

"Yeah… where's Whit? Is she OK?"

"I dunno." Tiffany shrugged. "I thought you might know what was going on."

Katy shook her head. "No idea, sorry… I haven't seen Whit since last night." She hesitated and then nodded her head in the direction that Bianca and Sonia had just disappeared. "What's gone on between you and B? You don't seem particularly happy to see her."

"She's just doing what she always does and ruining stuff and then making it about her." Tiffany snapped.

"Am I supposed to understand what you're talking about?" Katy asked, shrugging. "Look… I know she messes up… a lot. But she loves you, Tiff. She's your mum and she's doing her best. It's hard trying not to do stuff that'll make your kids hate you, trust me, I know."

"Don't even start, Katy." The redhead warned. "I ain't in the mood."

"Fine, fine! I won't. Just… don't push her away so far you can't get her back, alright?"

Tiffany looked at her for a moment, before giving a sharp nod. Katy smiled weakly, before turning and moving to lean against the bar. Shirley walked towards her, leaning against the bar and asking if she was OK. Katy rolled her eyes and told her not to fuss, earning herself a playful glare and an affectionate cuff under the chin.

"This is painful." The older woman said, motioning her head towards where Mo and Jean were singing a duet.

Katy chuckled, knowing that she didn't really mean it. "You're loving it, I can tell."

"Shut up." As Whitney stamped onto the stage and turned off the music abruptly, she raised her hands and grinned. "There is a god!"

"Hello everyone. Hope you're all enjoying yourselves." Katy listened to Whitney with an uncomfortable sensation in the pit of her stomach. It was obvious to the blonde that her friend had been crying and the fact that Callum and Ben had both followed her into the pub was setting off alarm bells in her head. "I'd like you all to make a toast… to my lovely… what are you, Callum?" Whitney's voice hardened, as did her expression. "You ain't my husband. You ain't my boyfriend. You certainly ain't my lover. What would you call him, Ben?"

"Not like this, Whitney." The Mitchell said, making Katy's heart sink.

"It's Hunter…" Mo said suddenly, her voice carrying in the quiet pub.

"He's got a gun!" Keegan shouted, causing panic to ripple through the room immediately.

There was shouting and screaming as people pushed and shoved each other to get away from the teenager. Hunter climbed onto the table that Katy and her family had been seated around not that long ago, waving his gun at the assembled wedding guests and shouting at them to shut up.

"Bolt that door now!" He ordered, motioning towards the nearest door.

"Lou!" Everyone turned as someone barrelled into the pub. Katy furrowed her eyebrows, vaguely recognising the woman from a photo at Phil's house.

"Lock the door!" Hunter screamed. "Do it!"

Mel looked stricken, moving forward marginally. "Hunter, please, think this through."

"Shut up!" He ordered again, still waving the gun around.

There was complete silence for a couple of seconds, before a commotion sent panic through the room. The screaming started up again as Jack, Mick, Kush and Keegan lurched forward and tackled the teenager, bringing him to the ground. Katy couldn't help herself pushing closer to the action, shouting her dad's name worriedly.

A bang filled the air as the gun went off.


	42. Chapter 42

The moments following the gunshot were confusing. The four men stood slowly, each trying to work out what had happened. As Jack climbed to his feet, Katy threw herself at him, trying to check whether he had been hit or not. He shook his head, gently holding her back away from Hunter, keeping her out of the firing line.

"Hunter, darling, please… the gun." Mel implored her son, motioning towards him. "Just give me the gun!"

He didn't respond, watching as Mick climbed shakily to his feet. Mel glanced briefly in Jack's direction, before fixing her gaze on her son again. He was very obviously ignoring her by that point. Her attention flickered away, briefly, at the panic in Callum's voice.

"Mick… Mick!" Everyone turned in his direction. It was only then that they realised that Ben was lying on the ground, cradled in the other man's lap, bleeding profusely. "Get me a towel or something… I need to stop the bleeding!"

"Darling, darling… I'm here now." Mel tried again, desperation creeping into her tone. "It's OK… I'm here!"

"He needs an ambulance." Jack said, motioning towards Ben, his arm still clamped tightly around his daughter.

Mick reached into his jacket for his phone. "I'll call one."

"I'm a nurse." Sonia reminded them. "I can look at him."

"No! No one makes any calls." Hunter snapped, the gun still raised. Katy watched him, not liking the fact that it was pointing at her father, who's back was turned as he watched Ben on the ground. "No one moves."

"Hunter, he's bleeding!"

"He's gonna die if we don't get help!"

"Everyone just shut up!" He ordered. "I can't think!"

"Hunter!"

"Shut up!"

The doors began rattling violently and Phil's voice could clearly be heard shouting for his daughter. Katy stiffened slightly as Jack tugged her sideways, her eyes never leaving the gun that was trained in their direction, as Hunter jumped at the sudden noise. The tension in the pub was palpable, no one having any idea what might happen. No one could even begin to imagine what Hunter was capable of doing.

"Hunter, please." Mel tried again, her voice lower and more controlled this time. "Take a minute… take a minute and think."

From her left, Katy was aware of Callum trying to get her cousin to speak to him. She vaguely heard Ben replying, but her attention was too caught up on the weapon that was being waved around wildly to really take notice. She couldn't bring herself to worry about Ben, too scared about the implications of the situation for everyone else in the room to be able to focus on one person. Her mind leapt to her daughters and siblings, suddenly terrified that something would happen and they'd lose yet another a member of their family.

"Right… move back." Hunter ordered. "Get down."

"Just do as he says." Mick said evenly, holding out his hand to his wife. "No one else is gonna get hurt."

"Yeah, I'll do the talking. Get down!"

Katy stared at him. Something inside her – the part of her that felt no remorse for all the terrible things she'd done – told her to stand her ground. She wasn't scared of Hunter, not for herself, anyway. She was just scared of the effect that anything that might happen would have on her family.

Beside her, Jack stood his ground as well. Hunter shouted at them again, before whirling round and pointing his weapon wildly at the group on the other side of the pub. While his back was turned, Katy exchanged a look with her father, who shot her a frown and shook his head sharply.

Shirley was the only one to ignore his orders, standing determinedly behind the bar and scowling at him. Hunter turned the gun on her. They were only separated by the bar, the range far too close to mean that Shirley would stand any chance of survival if he shot her. Katy felt her chest tighten at the realisation, taking an involuntary step towards the older woman in desperation. Jack's grip on her increased, holding her firmly against his side.

"Out here now.

"I ain't scared of you."

"D'you wanna end up like him?" Hunter nodded his head towards Ben.

"Mother, just do what he says." Mick ground out. "What's the matter with you?"

Shirley turned her head, slowly, to glare at him. Then she moved towards the opposite end of the bar. Katy couldn't help smirking as the older blonde moved deliberately slowly, taking her own time and making it incredibly obvious that she had absolutely no fear whatsoever. Not for the first time, Katy was filled with admiration for her.

"Hunter, if I leave him he will bleed out and he will die." Callum said, his voice full of emotion. "Is that what you want, because that is murder!"

"Alright, you can stay."

"Good boy. Good boy, darling."

"Get down! Do it!"

Hunter didn't seem to know what to do. Silence fell in the Vic as they all waited for something to happen. Everyone's eyes were trained on the teenager and the weapon in his hands, while his gaze was flickering between different people around the room. Katy chanced a look in her father's direction, seeing the expression in his eyes and knowing that he was trying to think of a way to end their current situation.

A ringing mobile broke the quiet. From her position crushed against Jack's side, Katy knew that it was his phone and wondered who was calling. No doubt everyone on the Square had realised that something was going on and she was suddenly more concerned about her grandmother and the children than she had been moments before.

"Whose is that?" Hunter demanded. Rather than answering, Jack reached slowly into his pocket. "Don't answer it."

For a moment, Katy thought her father was going to ignore him, but then he exhaled deeply and rejected the call. She frowned at him lightly, but he simply shrugged and shook his head.

"You!" Hunter motioned the gun in Keegan's direction. "Get everyone's phones now. Now! Go on… phone's out… all of ya! Now!"

As Keegan moved around collecting up the mobiles everyone was offering up, Katy resolutely refused to retrieve hers. She raised her chin defiantly, gazing at Hunter as he took a step towards her, waving the gun again.

"Phone. Now!"

"No."

"I said–"

"I don't give a shit what you said." Katy replied bluntly. "I am not giving up my phone to you."

Hunter took a step towards her, his eyes narrowing as he moved closer. Jack attempted to pull his daughter back, but Katy shook him off and stood her ground. They stared at each other for a long time, neither backing down.

"Give me the phone." Hunter ground out darkly.

"I said no."

As the teenager jabbed the gun into her chest, Jack hastily snatched the device from his daughter and held it out. "Here… there's the phone. Just back off, yeah."

"Dad!"

Taking the phone from him, Hunter dropped it on the ground and stamped on it, shattering the screen instantly. Katy let out a furious noise and attempted to leap at him, but Jack held her back, forcing her behind him and blocking her from getting to Hunter. Angrily, she did her best to evade him, until he turned and fixed her with a serious stare.

"You wanna get yourself killed?" He snapped. "Stop it."

Clenching her jaw, she folded her arms and glared darkly at the teenager. She didn't make any more attempts to physically attack him, however, realising that Jack's grim prediction would almost definitely be the most likely option.

"What's it looking like out there?"

"There's police everywhere and they're all armed." Keegan announced from his position on top of one of the benches, looking through the window. His words confirmed what everyone had already surmised.

"Get back down now."

"Hunter, please." Callum tried again. "He needs proper help."

"Please?" Sonia added. "Please can I look at him? Please?"

"OK." Hunter relented finally. "But don't try anything."

Katy looked on nervously as her cousin moved to crouch beside Ben, talking to him softly and trying to work out how serious his condition was. He was still conscious and able to speak to her, but Katy could tell that he was in a bad way.

"Stop talking!"

"If we don't call an ambulance soon, he's going to die."

"No. No one's calling anyone." He said firmly. "No one's making any moves."

Behind him, Jean reached for her mobile on the surface of the bar. Seeing the movement, Hunter turned and reacted instinctively, squeezing the trigger. The bullet hit the bottles lined up behind the bar, smashing several of them and causing a panicked response from everyone inside the pub.

Using his moment of distraction to her advantage, Katy bent to scoop her smashed phone off the floor. Hunter whirled around again and fired off another shot. This time, however, his aim wasn't so off. Katy gasped, feeling a searing pain in her leg.

"Katy!"

Jack was immediately lowering her to the ground, cradling her in his lap whilst simultaneously struggling to pull off his jacket. He balled it up and pressed it against the hole at the top of her right thigh, which was pumping out a steady flow of blood. It took Katy a moment or two to realise what had happened.

"Holy shit…" She exhaled sharply. "That's worse than fucking chemo."

There was a snort of amusement from the other side of the pub at her words and the young woman instinctively knew that it had come from Shirley. Jack shushed her, the panic in his eyes informing Katy of how bad he evidently thought her injury was.

She thought carefully, trying to be logical, even as the pain coursed through her. She'd been hit in the thigh. There were bones, nerves, blood vessels and muscles in her leg and any of those could have been damaged by the bullet. Katy was just relieved that his aim hadn't been higher.

Katy found that she couldn't really concentrate on what was going on around her. The pain in her leg was too distracting, as were the thoughts that were buzzing about in her brain. She was vaguely aware of people talking around her, Mel and Hunter and Callum and Sonia and a phone ringing. Jack's grip on her seemed to be loosening, but that didn't really seem to make sense to her. The fact that the temperature seemed to be dropping didn't make much sense either.

Blinking a couple of times, Katy forced herself to try and concentrate as people started shouting. She tried to sit up a bit more, trying to look at what was happening on the other side of the pub, but the pain in her leg soon caused her to give up on that idea.

"Dad… Dad." She said quietly. "What's happening?"

"Don't worry about what's happening, darlin'." He told her, running a hand through her hair. "How are you doing?"

"I'm great." She retorted sarcastically. "It's not like some nutter's just shot me." Then she let out a long breath sharply between her teeth. "Dad… Gran… you need to speak to Gran. I don't want her to freak out. She needs… I need her to be OK."

"I'll make sure she's alright." Jack promised quickly.

"I don't mean… I don't _just_ mean this. Mum and Roxy…"

"I'll make sure she's alright." He repeated meaningfully, squeezing her hand.


	43. Chapter 43

"What's going on?"

"Katy…" Jack shook his head, his concern for his daughter growing at her question.

Everyone was panicking. Hunter had just taken Louise hostage, dragging her from the Vic and out onto the Square. Phil was crouching beside Ben, watching as Sonia did her best to steady his breathing. Knowing that help was so close and yet so far was almost too much for Jack, who was on the verge of scooping his daughter up and carrying her outside to the paramedics that he knew would be standing by before they got the all clear.

"Dad, tell me…"

"I'm not sure, alright?" He admitted. "Hunter's taken Louise and gone outside… there's been a few more gun shots. I don't know what's happening."

"Louise…"

"There's no point thinking the worst." Jack told her firmly, running a hand soothingly through her hair. "We don't know anything. Just stay positive, darlin', OK. You're gonna be fine."

She didn't have time to reply before the doors banged open and two pairs of paramedics burst in, looking wildly around for the injured parties. Jack immediately waved them over, refusing to relinquish his hold on his daughter as they assessed her quickly.

Loading the young woman onto a stretcher, after injecting her with painkillers, the paramedics started wheeling Katy out to the ambulance. As Jack attempted to go with her, she caught his hand and shook her head. Rejection flashed through his eyes for a moment, before she managed to explain what she wanted him to do.

"Go and tell Gran what's happening." She requested hurriedly. "Please… I don't want her to hear from someone else. You need to tell her I'm fine."

"I can ring her from–"

"No, Dad, please. I'll be fine. Just go and explain and then come and see me. I promise I'll be alright until you arrive."

His reluctance to leave her side only increased as the paramedics wheeled her out of the Vic and over to the ambulance. Her name was shouted in a panicked, terrified tone and they both turned to look as Ronnie ducked under the cordon and sprinted towards them. She grasped desperately at her daughter, running her hands through her hair and pressing kisses to her head until Katy gently pushed her away.

"I'm fine." She said, suddenly tired. "Dad, please."

"Alright." He agreed, shooting his wife a suspicious look.

"I'll come with you." Ronnie said firmly. She turned to the paramedics. "I'm her mother."

"No." Katy shook her head. "I don't want anyone to come with me."

"Sweetie–"

"I said no."

The paramedics nodded and loaded her into the back of the ambulance, shutting the doors firmly behind her. Only when the engine started and they slowly started driving around the Square did she relax a little. When the paramedic asked whether they could clip a monitor onto her finger, she just nodded, laying her head back and staring at the side of the ambulance, her mind whirling over the current situation.

There was no way the news of Ronnie's reappearance on the Square was not going to spread like wildfire now. Running along Bridge Street screaming her daughter's name would not have gone unnoticed, particularly when such a large crowd had been drawn to the pub by the drama. Katy wasn't sure whether she was emotionally stable enough to deal with everyone knowing the truth. She was worried that people would think she knew that they were alive the whole time and that she had been in on the deception.

"Miss Mitchell, can you wiggle your toes for me?"

Katy winced, but did as she was asked, earning a satisfied nod from the young man who noted something down on his clipboard. She guessed that it was good news that she could still feel and move her toes, hoping that it meant that the damage wouldn't be too serious. Closing her eyes, Katy suddenly felt incredibly tired and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

"Try and stay awake for me, love."

"Mmm…"

"Miss Mitchell? Katy? Come on." He shook her arm gently. "Tell me about your children. How many have you got?"

When she didn't answer, he realised that she had lost consciousness.

* * *

"Jack… Jack!" Ronnie followed as he headed quickly across the Square in the direction of Number 43. "What's going on? What happened?"

"You saw for yourself, she's OK."

"Don't lie to me!" She snapped, wrapping her hand around his bicep and pulling him back. "She's been taken to hospital in an ambulance and they put her on a stretcher. There was a gun… oh my god! Was she _shot_?"

The expression on Jack's face was enough to tell her the truth. "She's fine. She's in the best place."

"Fine? How the hell can she be _fine_?"

He huffed, turning to glare at her. "So now you care? Now you're actually thinking about our daughter? Where've you been for the past two years, eh?"

"That's not fair! I never stopped thinking about her and the kids. I did it for them. I was trying to keep them safe."

"You should have been _here_." Jack told her bluntly. "You were needed _here_."

He knocked on the door of Katy's house, turning his back on Ronnie and completely ignoring her. As soon as Glenda answered, he stepped inside and closed the door firmly behind him, leaving Ronnie outside. He exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face before turning to look at his mother-in-law.

"Where are the kids?"

"Upstairs. Amy's keeping them occupied. Why? Where's Katy?" Her face fell. "What's been going on out there? What are the police cars and ambulances for?"

Jack exhaled again. "Don't panic, alright, but Katy was shot."

"Don't… don't panic?" She exclaimed. "What else am I supposed–?"

"She's OK… I mean, she's conscious and coherent. She was shot in the leg… the thigh. They've taken her to hospital."

"Why aren't you with her?"

"Because Katy wanted me to come and tell you, so you didn't hear it from someone else or over the phone." He explained. "Ronnie's outside. She was outside the Vic… saw Katy being put in the ambulance. Katy told her she didn't want her at the hospital."

"Do you blame her?"

"I'll get Max to come over and watch the kids and we can go to the hospital together." He suggested, already pulling out his mobile. Glenda didn't argue, hurrying upstairs to get her things. "Does Katy still have an emergency hospital bag?"

Glenda nodded. "Yeah, I'll grab it."

Ronnie had gone when they left the house, but Jack was under no illusions that she had given up. The journey to the hospital was silent and tense, both of them running worst case scenarios through their minds. Jack allowed Glenda to take charge at the hospital. Watching her striding through the corridors with purpose was a stark reminder of how many times she'd had to do it over the past few years. Glenda barely blinked as she spoke to receptionists and nurses, proving that it had become second nature to her.

"She's on a ward this way." Glenda announced, motioning towards the double doors.

They walked as quickly as possible through the maze of corridors in the direction that Glenda had been told. Finally, after a couple of mistakes, the found themselves in the right place and were just in time to catch the end of the conversation Katy was having with the doctor. Glenda listened intently for any familiar key words that would tell her exactly what was going on.

"So we'll run a few more tests before making any decisions, OK?"

"Of course… but my leg…?"

"We'll sort that before we do anything else." The doctor assured her with a nod. "We'll schedule a theatre and get that bullet out as soon as we can."

"Thanks."

He smiled at Glenda and Jack, inclining his head politely in greeting, before heading quickly away. Katy smiled weakly at her father and grandmother as they settled themselves in chairs on either side of the bed, already anticipating a barrage of questions and probably some tears from Glenda.

"Darling…"

"Gran, I'm fine." Katy promised, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "They've done an x-ray and the bullet missed all arteries and the bone. I was incredibly lucky. They're gonna dig it out and stitch me up and it'll be fine."

"So what are they doing more tests for?"

Biting her lip, the younger woman sighed softly. "He's concerned about my general health…"

"It's not…"

"He thinks so."

"But last time…"

"I know."

Jack looked between them in confusion. "What's going on?"

"The doctor is concerned that I might be having a relapse." Katy told him carefully. "He read my notes and we talked about things and considering all the symptoms… they want to be sure." Playing with the edge of the blanket nervously, she shrugged. "They're going to transfer me over to Oncology, anyway. I think I'll have to stay in for a couple of days."

"I'll sort the kids, don't worry about them." Glenda said at once, nodding reassuringly. "They know the drill."

"I'll ask Tina to cover me at the bar; her and Kathy can run it perfectly well between them."

Jack put his head in his hands. "Why are you two acting like this is just something normal? You might have cancer again, Katy!"

She sighed. "Because this is normal for us, Dad. There wasn't much point going into panic mode every time I was in hospital."

"But that's… do you realise how sad that is?"

"Yeah, maybe, but there's nothing we can do about it, is there?" She pointed out with another shrug. "Just… you need to stay positive for the kids, alright? I don't want them getting upset… especially seeing as we don't know anything yet."

"Katy…"

"Dad, please. I can't deal with your feelings at the moment as well, OK?" She told him bluntly. "I've got to think about the kids."

"They'll be absolutely fine, darling." Glenda promised her. "I've got it covered."

"I know you have." Her granddaughter replied, smiling warmly and squeezing her hand again. "Can you also–?"

She broke off, her eyes falling on a harassed looking blonde striding onto the ward and looking around urgently. Katy's grip on Glenda's hand tightened as Ronnie spotted them and headed over quickly, almost pushing past Jack to cup her daughter's cheek and check her over thoroughly.

"I'm fine. I told you…"

"What have the doctors said?" Ronnie pressed, looking between the trio. "What are they doing?"

"It's in hand." Glenda said firmly.

"She's _my_ daughter, Glenda," she snapped back, "not yours."

"I'm well aware of that. But I've been more of a mother to her than you have for the last three years. Where were you when she needed you?"

"Enough!" Katy scowled between them. "I am here, you know. Stop talking about me like I'm not." As the two women tore their gaze away from the other, having the good sense to look a little sheepish, Katy nodded sharply. "Thank you. Right. Everything is fine. They're gonna remove the bullet and stich me up. Simple."

"There's no other damage?" Ronnie asked breathlessly.

"Nope, I was lucky."

"When do you think they'll discharge you?" Noticing them exchanging a look at her question, Ronnie frowned. "What?"

"They want to keep me in for a few days to do a few tests." Katy admitted reluctantly.

"What? Why?"

"The doctor thinks… well, he wants to check a few things about in case…"

"He thinks she might relapsing." Glenda clarified irritably. "He thinks the AML is back."


	44. Chapter 44

"So… it's all over the Square."

Katy furrowed her eyebrows, having no idea what Tina was talking about. The brunette had been slouching in the chair beside her hospital bed for about twenty minutes. They'd started off talking about the bar and what was coming up over the next couple of weeks. Then they'd moved onto what was happening at home. Now, though, she'd apparently started a new conversation without letting Katy in on the exact topic.

"What is?"

"Ronnie and Roxy."

"Oh…"

"I mean, she sprinted down Bridge Street and threw herself at you on that stretcher, babe." Tina said with a shrug. "Barely any one missed that and, if they did, at least one other person has told them about it."

"What are people saying?"

Shrugging, Tina dropped the magazine she'd been flicking through onto the bed. "They're confused, obviously. I mean, everyone thought they were dead and now, since Whit's wedding, they're back walking round the Square like they own it."

"They're _what_?"

"Oh, yeah… It's like they've never been away."

"Where are they staying?"

"I'm not sure. Not on the Square, anyway." Tina said with a shrug.

"You do believe that I had no idea about this, don't you?"

"About them being alive?"

Katy nodded. "I honestly–"

"I know, babe." Grabbing her hand, Tina gave it a squeeze. "I do believe you."

"Good, because…" She sighed deeply. "I don't know how to… if it is back, if I've got cancer… I don't want to be…" Katy let out a sound of frustration. She was unable to articulate what was in her mind, her annoyance at her current situation clouding everything. "If I'm going to die, I don't want to do it when we're like this."

"You're _not_ going to die."

"You don't know that."

"I do." Tina replied stubbornly. "You're a Mitchell and apparently not even _death_ can kill your lot."

Katy laughed, shaking her head. Her friend grinned, relieved at the sudden lift in her mood. For a couple of moments they sat in peaceful companionship, the younger woman chuckling softly at what had been said. Then she let out a long sigh.

"I'm scared, T." She admitted at last. "I've been trying to ignore things… warning signs. I've had too much to do… too many people relying on me. I can't… I can't get ill."

"Are you actually trying to say that you're too busy and important to get ill?" The brunette asked, laughing. "I've got news for you, Mitchell; it doesn't work like that."

"Well it should."

"What've you been ignoring? You've seemed fine to me."

"Bruises, headaches, blurred vision, constantly aching and feeling tired… it was easy enough to explain away, even to myself. I've been working long hours, lifting crates of bottles, I'm naturally clumsy." Katy sighed. "I was just hoping it would all go away."

Tina looked stricken. She leant forward, her eyes large and serious. "You shouldn't have ignored all that, Katy. If you hadn't got caught up in that mess at the Vic you'd still be ill, but you wouldn't know. You could have… we might have lost you."

"I know, I know… I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too. I should have noticed that something wasn't right."

"It's not your fault." Katy told her with a weak smile. "I'd have denied it, even if you did realise."

"God, you're annoying."

"I know."

"But they can treat it, right? You're going to get better again, ain't ya?"

"I dunno, T." She shrugged. "They're still running tests and it's not confirmed yet. I'm supposed to be having an urgent bone marrow biopsy later, which isn't fun. But if it is back… last time they said I'd probably need a stem cell transplant."

"But they can get you one of those, yeah?"

"Yeah… the problem is that a donation from a close relative has a much lower chance of causing complications than an unrelated donor, so they'll probably want to test Amy or the boys to see if they're a match and I don't want that. They're too young to be put through all of the pain and fear. We looked into all this when I was ill last time, before we came back to Walford. There's the possibility of having a mismatched transplant… if Jack or Ronnie donated stem cells they'd be at least a fifty per cent match." Katy explained thoughtfully, talking to herself as much as Tina. "Which would be fine… except I could get GVHD where the donated stem cells attack some of my body cells, whatever they go for."

"It sounds like you've got some pretty big decisions to make."

"Yeah…"

"I could get tested, if you want? Maybe my cells would match yours?"

"I couldn't ask you to do that, T."

"You wouldn't have to." The brunette said seriously. "I just offered, didn't I?"

"Tina… that's a massive thing to offer."

"I know that." She shrugged. "But it's way preferable to losing you for good."

Katy sighed, squeezing the hand that was still holding hers tightly. "Thank you. But we don't even know if I'm definitely going to need a transplant yet."

Biting her lip, Tina asked the question that had been on her mind since the conversation had started. "Have you told your parents about this? Glenda?"

"Gran knows." The blonde assured her immediately. "She came to all the appointments and discussed all the options. Jack… I told him, briefly, about it before. But Ronnie… no. She doesn't know."

"Don't you think you should tell her?"

"I will… if I have to."

"You've literally just said that you don't want things to be strained if you're gonna find out you're ill." Tina reminded her gently. "Surely keeping this from her isn't going to help."

Katy sighed and shrugged. Glancing up, she caught sight of the nurse heading in her direction with a tray of instruments. Guessing that they needed to take more blood, she smiled weakly. Getting the hint, Tina stood and gathered her things.

"Tina… I don't want this getting out around the Square. I don't want anyone else knowing that I'm ill. I can't… I can't deal with the pity or sympathy. I just want things to be normal. It's gonna be bad enough Mum and Roxy being back… I can't deal with people knowing about this as well."

She hesitated for a moment, before pressing a kiss to the younger woman's forehead. "I won't say anything. Be good."

"I'll do my best." Katy assured her, chuckling. "Back atcha."

Winking, Tina headed across the ward and disappeared through the door. Katy sighed and smiled weakly at the nurse who placed the tray on the bed before asking whether it was OK to take a few samples. Nodding, she held her arm out wordlessly, barely noticing as the woman got on with it. She turned her head and looked away, her mind constantly whirring between thoughts.

"Katy?"

She jumped. "Uhh? Sorry…"

"I was just saying that Doctor Matharu will be down in about twenty minutes to talk you through the biopsy."

"Oh… it's not my first." She said with a sigh. "I'd rather just get it over and done with."

Katy couldn't stand the look on the woman's face. She was clearly feeling sorry for her, but doing her best not to show pity. Avoiding her gaze, Katy looked at her phone, seeing that she had a message from Bianca and opening it quickly. Her cousin was asking whether Whitney had been in to see her, so Katy quickly replied telling her that she hadn't.

That set her thinking about the events of the previous day and she wondered how Ben was doing. Not having heard anything about his condition, not having seen anyone other than her parents, grandmother and Tina, she quickly sent Lola a message asking what was going on. The reply didn't take too long to reach her, informing her that Hunter was dead and that Ben and Keanu were doing well. Not having known that Keanu had been shot as well, Katy immediately demanded to know what had been happening. This time, however, there was no reply, although her phone told her that Lola had read the message.

Frustrated, she quickly sent Whitney a message, asking if she was alright. She didn't really expect a reply, considering that Bianca didn't even know where she was. She knew, though, that she hadn't really been there for her friend as much as she should have been and there were lots of things that she had missed by being caught up in her own problems.

Katy was surprised when, less than five minutes after she'd sent the message, Whitney herself strode onto the ward, making straight for her bed. Pulling herself up to sit against the pillows, Katy opened her mouth to ask how her friend was, before hastily shutting it. Whitney stood beside the bed, folding her arms and fixing the blonde with a hard look.

"Did you know?" Whitney demanded in a low, furious voice.

"Know? Know what?"

"Don't lie to me, Katy." The younger woman demanded. "Don't you fucking dare lie."

"How can I be lying if I don't have a clue what you're on about?" She muttered, shaking her head.

Whitney leant down and narrowed her eyes. "Callum and… Ben."

"Callum and Ben?" Katy frowned. "Callum and Ben what?"

"He cheated on me, Katy! Callum cheated on me with your fucking cousin!"

"He what? No… I swear I didn't know, Whit." Katy told her gently, shaking her head and reaching out to her. "I'd have told you if I had any idea, of course I would."

"Would you? He's a Mitchell, ain't he? You lot always stick together, don't ya?"

"Not, always. Not over this. Whit, _we're_ family too, remember. And you're my best mate. I would _never_ side with Ben over you. Never."

Studying her face for a moment, Whitney obviously believed what she saw. She dropped heavily into the chair and put her head in her hands. Katy reached out and took her hand, squeezing it tightly. Not looking up, the younger woman let out a dry sob.

"Did you really not know? Even after yesterday in the Vic?"

"Babe… I was shot." Katy reminded her. "I didn't really notice anything that went on in the Vic. Anything that happened before has kinda been wiped from my memory and anything that happened after… no chance."

"Oh… oh god. How are you?"

"My leg is fine." She shrugged. "I'll have a lovely scar to add to the collection, but it's fine. But they haven't moved me to Oncology for no reason…"

"It's… oh, shit, babe." Whitney's face crumbled as the realisation hit her. She sat up straight and reached for Katy's hand. "How bad is it?"

"It's not confirmed yet. They're doing a bone marrow biopsy in about… ten minutes."

"Is… is there anything I can do?"

Katy smiled, squeezing her hand. "Yeah, there is. I want you to be OK, Whit. I know… I know you're heartbroken, of course you are. I should be out with you, helping you forget about him. But you're strong and you deserve to be happy. So that's what you can do for me, OK?"

"Katy…"

"Honestly, Whit, the only thing I want you to do is be happy."

"That might take a little while." The younger woman grinned. "I guess that just means you'll have to make sure you stick around to check."

Katy laughed softly. "I guess it does."


	45. Chapter 45

Katy was bored of hospitals. It had been two weeks and she had undergone test after test, without really being told anything. She had endured visiting hours with Jack, who didn't understand the routine that Glenda and Katy had fallen into over her many hospital stays in the past, where they were quite content to sit in silence doing their own thing. He tried to make conversation with her, asking questions that she didn't know the answer to and attempting to get her to talk about how she was feeling. The visits hadn't ended well and it had almost been a relief when Jack told her that he was starting work as a detective and so wouldn't be able to pop in and see her as often.

Ronnie and Roxy had also attempted to visit a couple of times, although on most of these visits they had met with stony, stubborn silence. Katy had attempted to be open minded, remembering Tina's words about how things were in danger of being left between them. But then the way Ronnie had been trying too hard, pushing too much, had caused her daughter to obstinately refuse to play ball.

Both Mitchell sisters were now living on the Square, staying with Sonia in Dot's house. Katy had such mixed feelings about their return, but the vindictive part of her was quite pleased to hear that things weren't as smooth sailing as they had hoped. Amy was just as hurt and confused by what had happened as her older sister and, when she came to visit Katy, she had told her that she was going to make Roxy work hard to make it up to her. She had, however, confided in the older Mitchell that she was glad they'd been right and that their mothers weren't really dead.

On Wednesday Katy received the news she was dreading, but expecting. The doctor settled himself beside her bed and looked at her seriously. She nodded, before he'd even opened his mouth, resigning herself to the fact that her cancer was back. She was even half-expecting to hear that either it had spread or that it was too advanced for them to do anything about.

"I think we're going to have to seriously start thinking about a stem cell transplant." Doctor Matharu suggested gravely, looking at her. "I know you had reservations when it was just a possibility, but I honestly think it's your best chance of beating this for good."

Katy laughed bitterly. "I'm a Mitchell. _That_ is my best chance of beating anything."

"Mmmm… I have got the impression that being stubborn is a genetic trait." He replied with a small smile. "But in all seriousness, this is a conversation we need to have."

"I know." She sighed deeply. "Realistically, what am I looking at in terms of the options? Don't worry about sugar coating it, just give me numbers that I can work with."

"You don't need me to tell you that a close relative would be the best donor."

"I want you to tell me that an unmatched donor wouldn't make that much of a difference."

"Katy, you know that there is a higher chance of complications in that scenario." He reminded her gently. "I understand that you don't want to put your family through being a donor, but the reality is that it's your best chance."

"But they're only half-siblings. How does that affect the chances? I mean, surely it evens things out with the unrelated donors?"

"It does make things more uncertain." The doctor acknowledged. "Full siblings have a 25% chance of being a perfect match. Obviously half siblings would have less of a chance, but–"

"Then I'm not even considering it."

The doctor sighed, resignation clear on his face as he realised that she wasn't going to budge on the issue. "If we went for a haploidentical donor–"

"Haploidentical?"

"Half matched."

"Oh… I didn't know it had an actual name." Katy said nodding. "I discussed that last time but… my circumstances were different then."

"Your parents would definitely be a match for a haploidentical transplant." Doctor Matharu continued. "It's a newer type of transplant, but we have a surgeon here who's done the procedure several times."

"So that would work?"

"It's got as good a chance as anything else we can offer you. Obviously there could be side effects, GVHD as much as anything, but I think that if you're not willing to try for a sibling match, a haplo transplant is your best bet."

"I'll speak to my dad." Katy said decisively.

"Not your mother?"

She hesitated. "I don't want to be in her debt."

"I'm sure she won't see it like that, not if she can save your life."

"She might not, but I will."

The doctor sighed, clearly not understanding her reservations, but didn't say anything on the matter. Instead, he urged her to speak to her family and make a decision soon so that they could get the ball rolling and start conditioning therapy and the tests that they would need to undertake before the procedure could happen.

Jack had immediately agreed to donate but, to Katy's annoyance, he had also told Ronnie. He had also suggested that she seriously consider asking her mother to be her donor, wanting to help soothe tensions between them. His daughter had been less than impressed; reminding him what Ronnie had put them all through. With a long-suffering sigh, he had reminded her that she was still her mother and that she was trying to put things right.

"If you don't want to be my donor, you can just say." Katy had muttered after he turned up to visit, the day after the issue had been raised, with Ronnie in tow. "It's fine."

"It's not that at all." He promised her. "If it's really what you want, of course I do it."

"But I want you to consider me as well." Ronnie told her softly. "Please, sweetie, let me do this for you."

"I'll think about it."

When they had gone home, Katy had flopped back against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. With Whitney away on, what should have been, her honeymoon and Tina in Naples with Shirley, the young woman felt totally alone. Lauren had text her several times – having heard about the shooting from Max – and both Whitney and Tina had checked in as well, but she still wished that they were able to come and see her in person.

When Glenda arrived to visit that evening, Katy immediately asked what she thought about Ronnie's offer to donate. The older woman had been quiet for a little while, thinking over the question she'd been asked. Finally, after an almost agonising wait for her granddaughter, Glenda had nodded slowly.

"I think you should do it."

"Really? But… I don't want to be indebted to her."

"You won't be, my darling. She owes you for everything she put you through. Helping to save your life is the least she can do."

"Alright." Katy nodded slowly. "You're right." She exhaled deeply, wondering how easy it would be to convince the doctors to let her undergo her treatment as an outpatient. "What else have I missed at home?"

"Ruby's giving Veronica a hard time." Glenda said with a wry smile. "That girl is her mother's daughter, alright."

"I'm not entirely sure that's always a good thing."

"It is, believe me." Her grandmother laughed fondly, reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It was Hunter Owen's funeral the other day."

"Oh…"

"No one went apart from Mel and Lisa."

Despite everything that the teenager had done, Katy couldn't help feeling a little sad about that information. She wouldn't have gone herself, but the knowledge that only his mother and her best friend had been there made her feel for them.

"They went to the Vic afterwards." Glenda continued. "Veronica and Roxanne were there with Phil and Sharon. There was an argument and your mother slapped Mel in front of the whole pub."

"Why?"

"A combination of factors, I think; you being shot by her son being the most significant."

"That's not Mel's fault." Katy pointed out, surprising her grandmother. "She tried to talk him down. I might not like her, but we can't put that on her."

"Whatever you say, darling." Glenda replied, looking wholly unconvinced.

* * *

To Katy's immense relief they agreed to let her continue her treatment as an outpatient. Glenda turned up to collect her granddaughter, bundling her into a thick coat and refusing to accept that she wasn't remotely cold. She talked at Katy the whole way back to the Square, not needing any response to anything she was saying. Katy simply sighed and looked out of the window, her nerves growing more and more prominent the closer they got to home.

"Come on… the kids will be beside themselves to see you."

As Glenda paid the taxi driver, Katy hurried up the steps and into the flat, not wanting to be spotted. The children were, as Glenda had said, delighted that she was home and refused to leave her alone until well after their bedtimes. Smiling, Glenda had pulled the duvet over the five of them when she went into Katy's bedroom and found her and the children fast asleep in her bed.

The next morning, Glenda had taken the children to school and Katy had barely had time to settle in front of the television before the sound of the bell cut through the peace and quiet. Katy ignored it, not wanting to speak to anyone, but it continued to ring for several minutes. Squeezing her eyes closed, she went to see who was so desperate for her attention.

"Katy!"

"Whit…"

"I'm so glad you're back."

"Thanks."

The brunette pushed past her into the flat. "I've got so much to tell you, but first of all, will you come to Louise's baby shower with us?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Katy shook her head slowly. "Whit, come on. Mel will be there and how awkward would that be? I don't want to make Lou uncomfortable."

"Please, K." Her friend almost begged. "I don't wanna go without you."

"I've just been let out. I'm _tired_, Whit."

"It'll do you good."

"It really won't."

"I promise."

"Whitney."

"Just five minutes." The younger woman pressed. "If you come with me I won't make you stay for more than five minutes if you don't want to."

"I already don't want to."

"Louise will be really pleased to see you."

"Please… just leave me alone." Katy sighed, shaking her head.

"No chance."

"Whit, I'm not coming, OK?" The blonde snapped, scowling at her. "I'm _tired_. I can't… I can't face everyone, alright? Just… leave me alone, Whit."


	46. Chapter 46

"What are you doing?"

Katy glanced up from rearranging things in her bag at her grandmother's question. "Going to work?"

"Katherine…"

"Don't, Gran." She frowned, throwing her purse on top of everything else. "Just don't."

"You need to rest." Glenda tried to remind her. "You know what the consultant said. You need–"

"I'll have plenty of time to rest after the transplant. I can't stay here all day and not expect people to ask questions. I'm not telling anyone I'm ill, so I need to carry on like nothing's happened. That means actually going into my bar and making sure it hasn't gone out of business while I've been away."

"Are you going to manage?"

"Gran… I've got crutches, which I don't even really need. I'm perfectly fine."

"You do need them." Glenda argued, frowning. "You need to keep the pressure off your–"

"I know!" Katy sighed exasperatedly. "Stop fussing."

"Alright, alright!" Holding up her hands, the older woman shook her head and left her granddaughter to it.

She watched Katy leave the flat, wondering whether she really was as fine as she kept assuring people. Ronnie had been badgering her to know whether Katy had said anything, but Glenda was loathed to tell her anything. She couldn't forgive her daughters for what they'd done, for how much pain they'd caused, whatever their reasons. There was no way Katy was going to forgive and forget any time soon, but Glenda knew that Ronnie wasn't about to give up on her daughter without a fight.

In the downstairs hallway, Katy took a deep breath before opening the door and manoeuvring herself out onto the top step. She had avoided leaving the building since she'd been discharged, not wanting to bump into anyone or ask any questions. She knew that she should probably have gone over to see Bex after she returned home from the hospital and the guilt flooded through her as she realised that she hadn't even spoken to her cousin since her suicide attempt. Pausing for a moment, she made a decision and changed course.

Struggling up the steps, Katy knocked on the front door of Dot's house, leaning against the pillar while she waited for someone to answer. An unfamiliar teenage girl pulled open the door and looked her up and down, causing Katy to furrow her eyebrows in confusion. Her first thought was that she was a friend of her cousins, but that wouldn't explain why she was answering the door.

"Who are you?" She demanded, not bothering to be polite.

"Kirsty. Who are you?"

"Kirsty?" Katy's frown deepened. Then something occurred to her and she tilted her head to one side. "Nick's daughter?"

"Yeah… who the hell are you?"

"Katy. Dot's granddaughter."

The younger girl looked at her suspiciously for a moment, before standing aside. "You better come in, then."

Katy made her way inside, heading straight for the kitchen where she could sit down easily. Sonia was in the room and glanced up at the sound of the blonde's crutches on the floor as she slowly made her way along the hallway, smiling at her and moving to push the door open properly. She waved away Katy's apologies about not having been to see Bex before, making her a cup of tea and placing it in front of her on the table.

They chatted for a while, before Dot appeared, hugging her granddaughter tightly. Katy clung on just a little bit longer as she tried to pull away, grasping the back of her cardigan and burying her face in Dot's shoulder. Finally disentangling herself, the older woman motioned for Katy to sit down, taking a seat opposite her.

"Are you alright?"

"They'd need more than a bullet to take me down."

"I wasn't talking about your leg." Dot told her seriously.

"I…?"

"Your mother."

"Oh. Her."

Dot sighed deeply. "I know what she did was ever so terrible, but she is still your mother."

It suddenly occurred to Katy that her mother and aunt were staying with Sonia and Dot and she glanced towards the door. "They ain't here, are they?"

"I think they're out." Her grandmother told her, before sighing again and reaching across the table to pat Katy's hand. "Life's too short to hold grudges. If you don't make peace with them you might suddenly find it's too late and you'll regret it."

"I can't forgive them that easily, Grandma."

"You should at least try, Katy."

"Grandma, seriously…" She shook her head. "I thought they were dead for two and a half years and then they turn up expecting everyone to act as though nothing happened."

"So don't waste another two and a half years."

With a huff, Katy thought better of continuing to argue with the older woman. She finished her tea and chatted with Dot for a little while, before excusing herself and making her way slowly towards the R&R. Even the name of her bar, which she had been so proud of, was filling her with annoyance since her mother and Roxy's return to the Square. Frowning lightly up at the sign, she pushed through the door and into the building.

Rolling her eyes as one of the barmaids tentatively suggested she stay downstairs, Katy gritted her teeth in determination and battled the stairs up to her office. Exhausted, she leant against the wall at the top, before pressing on and tapping the code into the keypad on the door, pushing it open and almost falling through.

"Katy!"

Stopping abruptly, the young woman started at the sight of her mother sitting behind her desk, looking totally at home in the space. Ronnie blinked several times, before smiling broadly at her daughter.

"What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you to be back at work so soon."

"What are you doing?" Katy's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the older blonde, ignoring her words. "How did you get in here?"

"I just thought I'd see what I could do to help out, sweetie. Kathy let me in."

Katy folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. "Well don't. Kathy and I have got it under control."

"I just–"

"Stop interfering." The younger woman snapped. "This is _my_ bar and I don't need your help! You're… you're just getting in the way."

"Oh…" Ronnie's face fell. She nodded stiffly, before rounding the desk and standing awkwardly in front of Katy. "I didn't mean to… I'm sorry. I thought I was helping."

Her daughter nodded slowly. "Yeah. Look I don't… I don't really know what to say to you."

"Katy…"

"I'm sorry. I know you're only trying to help, Ronnie, but I've been on my own the last two years and I'm used to sorting things out by myself. I'm not… I'm not the kid I was when you… I can't…" She took a breath. "I can't just switch back to how I was before. I've learnt not to need you anymore. I'm sorry."

"Right… I… right." She nodded, blinking rapidly in an attempt to stop the tears that were threatening to make an appearance. Ronnie grabbed her bag and jacket from the sofa. "I'll go. I'm sorry."

"I… I'm sorry, too." Katy told her, almost regretting her words. "I really am. I just… I wish you'd told me…" She shook her head. "I just can't forgive you."

Unable to say anything else, sure that she would probably just burst into tears if she tried, Ronnie hurried out of the office. She smiled weakly at the staff dotted around as she rushed out of the bar and onto the street. Running a hand through her hair, she made up her mind hurriedly and headed for Jack's house, knowing that he was there after watching him seeing Denise out as she'd been on her way to the R&R.

Knocking loudly, she waited impatiently for him to answer, before pushing past him and striding into the house. Jack rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. As he shut the door, he composed himself, guessing that his wife had probably had some form of run in with their daughter.

"Come in, why don't you?" He muttered sarcastically, joining Ronnie in the living room and folding his arms.

"Jack…" She sank onto the sofa and looked up at him hopelessly. "You need to help me with Katy. I don't know what to do. She… I was trying to take some of the pressure off her by helping out at the R&R, but she told me to stop interfering." She hid her face in her hands. "I was honestly just trying to help. Katy needs to rest, not be worrying and working all hours. She said… she said she doesn't need me anymore."

"What did you expect, Ronnie?" Jack asked softly, shrugging. "We thought you were dead. You disappeared from Katy's life, again, and left her to deal with everything on her own. She dealt with it. She dealt with it by moving hours away from the rest of her family, shutting herself off and deciding she didn't need anybody." He shook his head. "How were you expecting her to react when you suddenly reappeared without warning? Were you expecting her to follow you around the Square, hanging off your every word, like she did when she was a kid? News flash, Ron, she ain't a kid nomore."

"She's still my daughter!"

"She's _our_ daughter." He reminded her irritably. "It weren't just you who missed out, Ronnie. I've had to deal with the fact that I lost out on two years with her and the kids, because of what you did. You honestly have no idea how much it affected all of us."

"Jack…" She stood and moved towards him, reaching out imploringly, but he moved away. "Please…"

"No." Jack held his hands up, shaking his head. "You were the love of my life, Ron… but I'm with Denise now. You left us. You did this, no one else. You."


	47. Chapter 47

Making their way home from school on Friday, Katy stopped dead as she spotted pair of blonde women walking towards them with purpose. She stiffened, still raw from her last conversation with them and not wanting to put the children under the same pressure. She was also wary of spoiling their relationship with Ronnie and Roxy as she knew that, when she was finally able to move on, she didn't want them to have the same struggles as she was having. The last thing she wanted to do was irrevocably spoil the relationship between Ronnie, Roxy and the children.

"Gran, take the kids home." Katy ordered, not turning to look at the older woman. She kept her eyes fixed on her mother and aunt as they approached. "Now, Gran."

"Katy?"

"I said _now_."

Nodding, Glenda shepherded Ruby, Matthew and the twins towards their house. She ignored the questions from her eldest great-granddaughter, almost pushing her through the front door and closing it behind them.

Pushing her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, Katy waited for Ronnie and Roxy to reach her. She knew there would be questions about why she'd acted the way she had, but until her mother and aunt proved that they could be trusted again, she had no intention of building up the children's hopes that they were really back for good.

"We were hoping we could take you all out for dinner." Ronnie said hopefully as they came to a halt in front of the younger blonde. "On us, of course."

"The kids are knackered from school and I'm exhausted."

"Please, Katy… we're really trying." Roxy implored her niece.

"Yeah… like I said, though, the kids are knackered."

"Ronnie is going through a transplant for you and you won't even give her a couple of hours of your time."

Katy snorted mirthlessly, shaking her head at her aunt before sparing Ronnie a glance. "I _literally_ didn't ask her to. If she'd rather not, that's absolutely fine because Dad–"

"No!" Ronnie shook her head, sending Roxy a dark scowl. "No, of course not. I want to donate to you, sweetie, of course I do. I completely understand… maybe we can do something at the weekend or next week?"

"Maybe." Katy agreed noncommittally. She ran a hand through her hair awkwardly. She needed to know where her mother was with the transplant plan, seeing as she'd received a call to say her conditioning treatment had been scheduled. "Have you heard from the transplant coordinator?"

"Yeah, I'm going in to donate next week."

"You feeling OK about it?"

Ronnie smiled weakly. "I'm a bit nervous."

"Honestly, if you've changed your mind… I know it's a massive thing. I wouldn't blame you."

"No, I haven't. I'd do anything for you, Katy. I hope you know that."

"I… yeah. Thank you." She smiled.

"Are you OK about it?"

"Bit nervous, too." She admitted. "Not about the procedure, that's not even… I just… this is my last chance. If this doesn't work then there's not really anything else they can do. It'll just be a constant cycle of relapse and remission until there's no remission."

"That's not going to happen." Ronnie grasped her gently by the face, looking into her eyes. "You're a fighter. You're strong. We need to be positive. It's going to work and you're going to get better."

Katy sniffed, rubbing at her eyes and forcing herself to smile. Then she nodded slowly. "Thanks… maybe we can do dinner in half term."

Feeling as though she'd won a small victory, Ronnie watched her daughter heading towards her home, before pushing her arm through Roxy's and pulling her in the direction of the Vic. She considered chiding her sister for rising to Katy's bait, but decided against it, knowing that Roxy was just feeling as guilty as she was.

Katy let herself into the house, leaning heavily against the front door and pressing a hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her sobs. It was pointless, however, as Glenda appeared at the sound of the door closing and spotted her at once. She swept Katy into a tight hug, taking her into the downstairs flat and settling her on the sofa.

"What happened, my darling? What did they say?"

Her granddaughter shook her head, taking a stuttered breath. "Nothing… honestly, Gran, it wasn't them. I just… what if the transplant doesn't work?"

Glenda stared at her, wide-eyed, for a moment. "That's not going to happen. We need to be positive. You're strong and I know you can beat this."

"That's what Mum said."

"Most sensible thing she's said for a long time." Glenda muttered grudgingly.

"I can't leave the kids, Gran… I can't do that to them." She shook her head. "What if… will they understand that I won't come back if I die?"

Glenda opened her mouth to reassure her, before she hastily shut it again. She had been about to say that she was sure the children would understand, but she wasn't entirely convinced of that herself. They were definitely confused about Ronnie and Roxy's return; the women's explanations and excuses hadn't made anything clearer to them.

When Katy was calmer, heading upstairs to see the children and get something to eat, Glenda grabbed her jacket and left the house. Her anger rose with each step she took across the Square. Pummelling her fist into the front door of number 25, she waited impatiently for someone to let her in.

Sonia blinked at the sight of the irate blonde on the doorstep, having little choice but to stand back and let Glenda push her way into the house. Guessing that she was looking for her daughters, or at least Ronnie, Sonia directed her into the living room before retreating to the kitchen with Dot, Bex and Kirsty.

"Glenda." Ronnie's icy tone was unsurprising, but her mother's reaction to it was less so.

"Do you have any idea what you've done to that poor girl?" Glenda demanded furiously. "Do you have the slightest idea? She damn near lost her mind... we all thought she had! She never stopped hoping that you'd suddenly turn up and it would all have been some hideous scheme or plan that went wrong. She wouldn't even go to your graves because doing that would have meant admitting you were really gone."

"Glenda, I..."

"But then she did. Amy persuaded her to go and it broke the reality she'd constructed in her head. She shattered into a million pieces and we had to put her back together again."

"We never meant–"

"I don't suppose you did." Glenda sniffed. "But that's the reality. And now you're back and you're expecting things to go back to how they were before."

"I'm not expecting that at all." Ronnie denied immediately. "I know I've got grovelling to do. I know I need to earn her trust back, to make up for those lost years and everything we put her through. I just... I need your help."

Her mother laughed, short and sharp. "That's rich."

"Please, Glenda. Help me to get my daughter back."

"You know how ill she was!" Glenda hissed at her elder daughter. "You know the statistics she faces. How could you leave her for two years? Do you realise… do you have any idea how close it came to her not being here now?"

"What?" Ronnie breathed, looking horrified. "I… what happened?"

"Which time?"

"Every time! I need to know!"

Shaking her head, Glenda looked at her pityingly. "I'll tell you, but you cannot let Katy know. She told me not to tell you. If she wants you to know, she'll tell you when she's ready." She sighed deeply. "I don't agree with her that you don't need to know; even now she's trying to protect you."

"Mum, please… just tell me."

"She's come so close to…" Glenda shook her head. "She thinks this is her last chance and now she's worried that if she does die the children won't understand and will think that she'll come back. That is your fault."

Ronnie buried her head in her hands. "We never meant for any of this…"

Her mother shrugged, no sympathy whatsoever in her expression. "Maybe you didn't, but you caused it, anyway."

* * *

Katy ignored her phone the first three times it rang. When whoever wanted to get hold of her didn't seem to be in danger of giving up any time soon, she sighed and accepted the call with a roll of her eyes. The last person she really wanted to be speaking to at that moment was her cousin.

"What d'you want, Ben?"

"I'd rather not be speaking to you either, Katy, yeah?" He told her bluntly. "It's about Whitney. She's smashed at the e20 with some random guy and Callum's worried about her. Seriously, Katy, this guy looks like a complete creep."

"So you want me to go and deal with Whitney so you can carry on with your date?"

"Well, yeah." He agreed, not even bothering to hide his true intentions. "But I also think she really needs a mate right now."

With a sigh, Katy realised that she couldn't just ignore that. "Fine. I'll head down there now."

There was a long pause before Ben grudgingly thanked her and ended the call. Katy tapped her phone against her lips for a moment, considering his motives, before calling down to Glenda that she was popping out to meet Whitney for a bit and grabbing her bag and jacket. She was out of the house before her grandmother could argue.

As she turned onto Turpin Road, Katy spotted Whitney sitting on the bench outside the chippy with Stuart, both of them looking as miserable as sin. She sighed deeply, pulling her jacket more tightly around her and heading towards them, already deep in thought about what she should say. She doubted that mentioning Ben would be the best move.

"Shove over." She murmured, stealing a chip from Whitney's packet.

"What're you doing out here?"

Katy could hear the concern in her friend's voice, despite the slightly unsteady way she was watching her. Whitney's eyes gave away just how much she'd had to drink and the blonde was touched that she was still thinking about whether or not Katy should be out in the cold. Reaching out, she squeezed her thigh affectionately, shooting Stuart a look as she did so.

He nodded, slightly resignedly, standing and wandering away. Not speaking for a moment, Katy ate a couple more chips while she considered her next move. In the end it was Whitney who spoke first, turning to her friend with tear-filled, hopeful eyes, as though she thought Katy could give her the answers she was looking for.

"How do you keep going?"

"Hmmm?" Katy looked at her in slight confusion, not really understanding the question.

"We all know Tyler is the love of your life." Whitney said, looking at her cautiously, clearly wondering whether Katy was going to lose her temper. "How did you get over him leaving you and moving on?"

Katy didn't answer immediately. She wasn't really sure how to respond to that question. Part of her was slightly offended at the wording of Whitney's question, the other part of her was terrified at the insinuation that she'd lost the love of her life. She chewed on her chip slowly, considering what she could say to answer her friend. Finally she realised that she couldn't stall any longer and exhaled deeply.

"Maybe Tyler _was_ the love of my life once." Katy agreed slowly. "But he doesn't define me, just like Callum doesn't define you. I guess it was different for me because I had the kids to focus on, but you've got your business and yourself. Whit, you're amazing. You don't need anyone else and Whit, I swear to god if you bounce into another relationship I will kick your ass." Katy warned her seriously, remembering what Ben had said about the man Whitney had been with in the club. "You know I'm with you, whatever, but I think it would be a huge mistake, babe. You need to focus on yourself for a while, not another guy."

"I know you're right." Whitney mumbled sadly. "I just… I don't know how to be on my own. I'm not strong enough to–"

"Bullshit!" The blonde laughed at her words. "You are more than strong enough. You're my oldest and best friend and I love you, Whit. Forty years from now we're gonna be ruling over this Square as the matriarchs; Pat and Peggy 2.0."

Giggling at that, Whitney wiped her eyes, leaning heavily against the older woman. "I love you, K."

"I love you, too." Katy told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Now give me another chip because I am starving."


	48. Chapter 48

Katy was thoroughly enjoying the chance for a bit of peace and quiet, flicking through a magazine and sipping a coffee in the café. Kathy smiled at her warmly, bringing her a fresh cup and holding up a hand when the younger blonde opened her mouth to offer to pay. Gratefully, Katy smiled at her and leant back in her seat.

Her peace didn't last long, however, as someone slipped into the chair opposite hers. Sighing, Katy raised her eyes to look at the person staring at her and was slightly confused to see her best friend's ex-fiancé and her cousin's current boyfriend smiling nervously back at her. Frowning at Callum, she folded her arms and tilted her head curiously.

"What d'you want?"

"I need your help." He replied hopefully.

There was something endearing about him and the young woman found it very difficult to keep her attitude icy. "With which of my cousins?"

"Huh?"

She smiled wryly. "Whitney and Callum are both my cousins. I just love one and hate the other."

"This place…"

"Yeah, I know."

"So… will you help me with Whit?"

Katy narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What d'you mean, help you with Whit? What d'you want to do to her?"

"No! I don't want to do anything to her." Callum looked panicked at the very idea. "I'm worried about her."

"Oh, so _now_ you're worried about her?"

"I still love her, Katy. I'm just not in love with her. I still care about her and want her to be safe and happy."

"Right…"

"This guy she's started seeing… I don't think he's right for her."

"I hardly think that's your place to comment anymore, is it?" Katy asked him coldly.

"Honestly, Katy, I've got no ulterior motives. I just want her to be happy."

"What, exactly, is wrong with this guy in your opinion?"

"I don't… I can't really…" Callum sighed, shaking his head. "I can't put my finger on what it is about him that's bothering me. I just… there's something that's not right."

"Look… I've already spoken to Whit about jumping into a new relationship so soon." Katy told him firmly. "I'm always gonna be here to watch out for her and if this guy sticks around and he is dodgy, I'll know. I've had my fair share of dodgy guys and I'll spot him a mile off."

"I know you hate me and I'm really grateful that you're listening to what I've got to say."

Katy arched an eyebrow, leaning back in her seat. "I don't hate you, Callum. If you're gay, you're gay. I just hate what you and Ben did to Whitney. You shouldn't have let it get so far… she shouldn't have had to walk out of her own wedding because you were too cowardly to do something about it."

"I know."

"I know you do." She acknowledged, softening slightly. "I also think you need to be careful with Ben." Seeing his expression, she huffed. "Yeah, yeah… you love him, he loves you. But I've known him a lot longer than you have, remember. There's a reason most of his family are wary of him. There's a reason I _hate_ him. It's not down to me to tell you all his secrets... just be careful."

Callum nodded at her for a moment, before smiling weakly and standing up. He looked as though he wanted to say something else, before clearly thinking better of it and leaving the café.

Katy wrapped her hands around her mug and stared at her coffee thoughtfully. Clearly Callum was worried enough about his ex to ask her best friend for help, knowing that Katy was unlikely to give him an easy time. Despite what she had said to Whitney, the blonde was under no illusions about what her friend was like. Unlike Katy, Whitney seemed to bounce from relationship to relationship, apparently needing validation from a man to feel settled. It was physically painful to her best friend that the younger woman didn't seem to understand that she was worth far more than that.

Despite the fact that time was running out, her pre-transplant chemotherapy sessions were due to start the next day and the doctor had requested she stay in hospital for at least three weeks until they were sure the stem cells had settled and started doing their job, Katy knew that she needed to make time for Whitney before she went. She still hadn't told anyone that she was going into hospital and, now that it was so close, she wasn't really sure how to. There was so much going on with everyone that Katy didn't want to heap more worry onto any of them.

Ordering two take out coffees from Kathy, Katy smiled and headed out onto Bridge Street. She beamed at Whitney, doing her best to attract punters to her stall, before holding out one of the cups and arching an eyebrow. Gratefully, the brunette took the drink and smiled, moving to lean against the bench she'd laid her designs on.

"How're you feeling?"

Katy shrugged. "Like this is my last chance."

"You've gotta be positive, K." Whitney told her, looking slightly alarmed by her answer. "This is gonna work and you're gonna be back here calling people out and making being a working mum look easy."

The blonde laughed, nudging her with her shoulder. "Just try and stay single until I get back, yeah? Think you can last a month?"

"Shut up."

"Seriously, Whit." Katy's tone turned more serious. "I think it'll be good for you to be single for a while. Besides, Gran's stepping in for me at the R&R and I've told her you'll be around to help look after the kids; godmother duties are really starting now, babe."

"You know I'll be there for the kids as much as I can."

"I know."

"When are you going in?"

"Tomorrow morning." Katy told her, huffing loudly. "I'm going to be in until the middle of November, at least."

"And when's Ronnie donating?"

"End of the week."

"How you feeling about that?"

Katy shrugged, looking away for a moment. "She's just gotta sit there, hooked up to a machine. She'll barely even notice. It'll be fine."

"You know that's not what I was asking."

"I dunno Whit, alright?" The blonde admitted, fiddling with her coffee cup. "She's my mum. You know, better than anyone, how much… She was my fucking hero. I _adored_ her."

"She knows how bad she's messed up."

"Does she?" Katy shook her head. "I don't know about that, Whit. I'm not sure she realises…"

"I think she does, K." Whitney told her seriously. "I think Ronnie knows exactly what she did and how badly she fucked up." She wrinkled her nose. "Look, I know you don't wanna hear this, but you gave me a few home truths, so now it's my turn. I think you need to forgive them, babe, for your sake as much as theirs. I don't think you're gonna be happy until you do."

"Maybe…"

"Katy."

"Alright, fine. You might be right." Katy agreed reluctantly.

"You know I am."

"Fine! Lemme just get this transplant out of the way and then I'll sort it out, OK?"

"Make sure you do."

Katy rolled her eyes at her friend, before leaning in and giving her a tight hug. They clung on for a couple of moments, before pulling away and smiling at each other. Before Whitney could open her mouth to speak, the blonde shot her a wink and blew her a kiss, before heading away to collect the children from school.


	49. Chapter 49

Katy had been as cheerful as possible around her family. It was only when they left her alone in the hospital that she let her true feelings show. She avoided making eye contact, let alone conversation, with anyone else on the ward. Only when the nurses and doctors came to check the central line they'd inserted, run tests or change her medications did she speak to anyone.

Glenda came to visit twice a day, knowing how her granddaughter would be isolating herself. Jack and Roxy visited intermittently, neither of them particularly comfortable with the situation or their surroundings but wanting to show their support, whatever the response. Katy had refused to let any of the children or Whitney visit, not wanting them to see the central line protruding from her chest or how ill the chemotherapy was making her. She knew that Ruby, in particular, knew exactly what would be happening and the reasons behind it. Katy wasn't sure whether she was happy that her daughter coped with the situation by finding out about it, but Glenda had assured her that the eight-year-old was much happier knowing than not.

On Friday, Ronnie had gone to visit Katy as soon as she'd finished donating the stem cells. She felt as though she'd been hooked up to the cell-separator machine for more than the three hours she knew it had been but, when she'd flippantly told her daughter that, Katy had sarcastically replied that she had no idea how that must have felt. Ronnie sighed, wondering whether she'd ever be able to say something without the younger woman jumping down her throat.

Knowing that she'd overreacted, Katy grudgingly apologised, blaming how ill and tired she felt for her bad mood. Ronnie knew that she didn't really mean it and Katy knew that she knew. The rest of the time, before Ronnie said goodnight and left the ward, was spent making awkward small talk. Katy had really thought about Whitney had said and knew that her friend was right. She couldn't quite bring herself to fully embrace the idea of moving on, though.

The day after Katy's conditioning treatment ended, the doctors ran through the next steps, scheduling the transplant for the next day. They told her that the surgeon who specialised in the specific transplant that she was having would be down to speak to her that afternoon, to run through the last minute information and answer any questions she might have. Katy listened silently, nodding in the right places and forcing herself to concentrate on what was being said rather than running through worst-case scenarios in her head.

When visiting time rolled around, there was no sign of anyone. Katy frowned, realising that she was disappointed. When, finally, Glenda appeared on the ward, there was an anxious expression on the older woman's face that immediately sent Katy into a panic.

"What's wrong?"

"Your father's on his way." Glenda informed her, not answering the question. "Have they told you when they're doing the transplant yet?"

"Tomorrow." Katy told her dismissively. "What's happening, Gran?"

"Sorry…" Jack appeared, a little breathless, beside the bed. He squeezed her hand and smiled warmly. "How are you feeling today?"

"What's going on?" Katy demanded, looking between them irritably. "What aren't you telling me?"

Her father and grandmother exchanged a look, clearly wondering whether to tell her the truth. When she arched an eyebrow at them, clearly not intending to give up without an answer, they both looked tiredly back at her. Jack shrugged his shoulders, glancing towards the older of the two blondes.

"Veronica was brought in this morning." Glenda announced finally. "She collapsed and Sonia couldn't wake her up, so she phoned an ambulance."

"What?" Katy's expression dropped and she looked panicked. "What's wrong with her?"

"They don't think it's anything serious." Jack assured her quickly. "They think she might be a little anaemic after donating yesterday and she's exhausted and stressed what with this situation."

"She didn't give blood, just the stem cells."

"No one's blaming you, Katherine." Glenda snapped, her tone just as sharp as her granddaughter's.

"I wanna see her." Katy demanded, looking around to try and attract a nurse's attention.

"Don't be ridiculous." Jack scoffed. "You can't go wandering around the hospital. If you get an infection all this might be for nothing; your immune system is completely shot."

She glared at him. "I wanna see my Mum."

"Look… just give it a couple of hours." Glenda suggested soothingly. "I'm sure Veronica will be fine and then she'll be able to come and see you."

To Katy's immense frustration, the nurse that appeared a few moments later echoed her family's sentiments. She was expressly forbidden from leaving her bed and roaming the hospital. They did promise, however, to get Ronnie's doctor to come and speak to her if her mother couldn't visit herself.

Hours passed; visiting time ended and Katy was growing more and more agitated. Finally, just as she was considering going against all orders and gong to find Ronnie, the blonde appeared on the ward. Letting out a deep sigh of relief, Katy shifted against the headboard impatiently waiting for her mother to reach her.

"Are you OK? What happened? What did they say?" She demanded immediately, assessing the older woman quickly. There were no IV lines visible and Ronnie wasn't wearing a hospital gown, so she hoped that it wasn't anything serious.

"I'm fine." Ronnie assured her with a soft smile, reaching out for her daughter's hand. When Katy clung on tightly, her smile widened. "It was absolutely nothing to worry about. You're the important one here."

"Mum… I'm sorry." She hung her head, feeling foolish. "I just… I was hurt and I was scared. I missed you so much and I…"

"I missed you too, sweetie, every single day. If I could go back in time…" She shook her head, exhaling sharply. "But I promise you, I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you and Matthew and the girls however you want me."

"Do you promise?"

Ronnie's heart broke at the quiet, unsure tone of her daughter's voice when she asked the question. Before answering, she took the opportunity to really look at the younger woman. Katy looked incredibly ill, more unwell than Ronnie had ever seen her before. Her face was pale and drawn, her hair limp and lifeless. Ronnie was sure that it was thinner than it had been and the realisation that she had probably been losing her hair during the conditioning chemotherapy, without her mother there to reassure her that she still looked beautiful, broke Ronnie's heart all over again.

"I promise you." She said seriously, cupping Katy's face. "I'm not leaving you again. Ever."

"I want to believe you, so badly."

"I understand." Ronnie assured her gently. "I'll do whatever it takes to prove it to you."

"All I need you to do is be there, Mum." Katy told her honestly. "I don't need any big promises or grand gestures. I just need _you_."

"I love you, Katy, so much. I'm so sorry that you ever doubted that. I never wanted you to feel about me the way I felt about Glenda…"

"Fresh start." The younger blonde announced decisively. "I'll have this transplant and we'll come out the other side of that and of this. We're Mitchells; we're family."

Ronnie smiled, leaning in to press a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "We definitely are."

* * *

After her transplant, Katy was moved to a private room and the number of visitors she was allowed was limited. For the first couple of weeks she was incredibly ill, needing regular blood and platelet transfusions and having to be fed through a tube. As she had been the one to donate the stem cells, Ronnie felt unnecessarily guilty, feeling as though somehow it was her fault that her daughter's recovery from the transplant was so difficult.

Things weren't much easier for her on the Square, either. Glenda was incredibly reluctant to give her daughter anything, the troubled relationship between them from their past, adding to the tension between them. She had agreed to let Ronnie and Roxy spend time with Ruby, Matthew and the twins because Katy had asked her to. Every time she saw them, however, she made it incredibly clear that she wasn't happy with the arrangement.

Ruby was also taking a long time to soften towards her grandmother and great-aunt, taking pointers from Amy who was giving her mother hell. The twins and Matthew were much more forgiving, not really thinking about the effects of the last few years. Ronnie and Roxy spoilt them, doing their best to make up for the upset and uncertainty they'd caused, doing whatever they could to bring things back to normal.

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing. I'm so happy you're enjoying it!**_

_**To the guest who commented about Sharon and Glenda on the last chapter, Sharon and Katy have ALWAYS hated each other. It's entirely mutual. It mostly stems back to the fact that Katy was Team Shirley all the way. As for Glenda, nope, she hasn't been retconned and neither have Katy or Ronnie. They had to work hard to get to where they are now and even that isn't always plain sailing!**_

_**x**_


	50. Chapter 50

News that Mel and Sharon were selling the e20 to Ruby Allen reached Ronnie on Halloween. The information gave her several ideas, sending her mind into overdrive as she listened to Sharon complaining about her business partner. Staying silent as the older woman ranted, Ronnie got the distinct impression that she wasn't completely behind the idea.

"… bad enough, she wants me to sell my share to the woman who's father killed my husband… Denny's father."

Ronnie glanced up at her words. "You're totally right, Sharon. Mel shouldn't have put you in this position."

"I'm not even that bothered about selling… it's not like I need the hassle of the club at the moment. It's just…"

"I get it."

"I knew you would." Sharon sent her a rare smile.

Ronnie thought back to their relationship before she'd left the Square. They'd never got on particularly well and Ronnie knew that she had to take a lot of the blame for that. Since she'd been back, though, Sharon had been one of the only people who'd given Ronnie and Roxy a chance and not held what had happened against them. It had been a surprise, the younger woman had to admit, but not an unwelcome one.

"I've got a proposition for you." She announced suddenly. "You don't have to agree and if you don't, we'll say no more about it."

"Go on?"

"I'll buy your share of the e20." Ronnie told her firmly. "You name your price and I'll find the money. You'll be able to wash your hands of all this and we'll get one over on both Mel and Ruby in one go."

"I can't afford to give you mates' rates; I've got a baby on the way."

"I wouldn't expect you to." She shrugged. "We're family, ain't we? We don't rip each other off. You get me a figure and we'll do business."

Sharon watched her for a moment, evidently trying to work out whether Ronnie was being serious. Seeing something that obviously set her mind at rest, she nodded and stood up. Ronnie leant back in her seat, wrapping her hands around her mug of tea and smiling up at the other woman.

"I'll get you the number by the end of the day."

"Sharon…" Ronnie paused for a moment. "Only if you're certain. I don't want you thinking I'm taking advantage of you."

"Honestly, you'll be doing me a favour. Just… don't mention anything to Mel or Ruby."

They exchanged another smile and then Sharon left. Ronnie considered their exchanged for a moment, wondering whether she was doing the right thing. Owning part of the club would help to give them roots again, would allow them to feel as though they belonged on the Square. Tapping her phone against her lips, Ronnie considered the situation again for a couple of minutes before dialling her sister's number.

"Ron? What's up?" Roxy answered immediately. Ronnie could tell from her tone that the younger woman was distracted. "I'm just working on my costume for the Halloween competition at the Vic."

"Isn't it a couples competition?"

"Well, yeah… but there's no reason it has to be a _couple_ couples competition."

"No, Roxy." Ronnie shook her head, knowing exactly what her sister was getting at. "Absolutely no way."

"Oh, come on, Ron! It'll be fun."

"Not a chance." She exhaled sharply. "I need to talk to you about something, Rox. Can you pop home for a bit?"

"Only if you promise you'll do this competition with me."

"Seriously? Fine!"

"Excellent!" Roxy exclaimed triumphantly. "I'll be back in about half an hour."

Placing her mobile on the kitchen table, Ronnie pulled her laptop towards her and started looking at their finances. She was sure that they would be able to raise enough to buy Sharon's share of the club. Mentally moving things around, she worked her way through their accounts until she was satisfied that they would be able to complete the deal.

"Right, what did you want to tell me?" Roxy announced, flouncing into the kitchen and placing two large bags on the table.

Her sister eyed them warily, before turning her attention back to the matter at hand. "I've offered to buy Sharon out of the e20."

"You've… what?"

"Mel was pressuring her to sell to Ruby Allen, which Sharon didn't want to do."

"So you thought you'd jump in and save the day, yeah?"

"Mel Owen's son shot my daughter, Roxy. She wants Sharon to sell to Ruby… I don't know why, but there's something going on. I am not going to let her get what she wants."

"Right… but buying into the club?" Roxy furrowed her eyebrows. "Doesn't that put us in direct competition with Katy's bar?"

"Technically, but R&R has been doing well against the e20, so there's no reason that us buying into the club will change anything."

"Do you believe that, or do you just want to believe that?"

Ronnie scowled at her. "Surely it's better that _we're_ Katy's competition, rather than someone else. At least we want her bar to do well."

"Is she going to see it like that?" Roxy asked, unconvinced. "I mean, you've just managed to get things back on track with her. Are you completely sure she's not going to see this as some kind of betrayal or attempt to–"

"I'm going to tell her about it this afternoon. If she's against it then I'll reconsider."

"Do I not get a say in this?"

"Of course. I just thought you'd be up for owning a club again."

"Part owning."

"Alright, part owning." Ronnie conceded, rolling her eyes. "So? Are you interested or not?"

Roxy scowled at her. "Of course I'm interested. It's _our_ club, Ron. I just don't want to share it."

Laughing softly, the older sister leant back in her seat, more relaxed now that she knew Roxy was on board. "I don't think we've got much choice in that one, Rox. According to Sharon Ruby's got the same amount of attachment to the club as we do. Besides, we couldn't afford to buy her out."

"Not yet."

Ronnie laughed again. "I like your optimism."

"Let's just hope Katy agrees with us."

* * *

She would have been lying if she'd said that Katy understood or was completely on board with their latest business move straight away, but Ronnie was relieved that, by the time she left the hospital, her daughter at least seemed to be coming round to the idea. It had even been Katy's idea that they could have joint promotions across the two premises, announcing that now the Mitchells were in control of both it would be stupid not to attempt to use that to their advantage. Clearly she hadn't considered Sharon's tenure in the e20 as a chance to work together.

Katy seemed more interested in talking about business than she did about how her recovery was going. Ronnie wasn't particularly eager to press the point, able to see how ill her daughter was for herself. Katy seemed incredibly weak, not able to do much except lie back against the pillows and talk to her. Ronnie was doing her best to ignore the IV lines pumping blood and platelets into her, knowing that Katy wouldn't be particularly pleased if she brought it up.

"How are the kids?"

Ronnie smiled. "They're at the Halloween party at the Vic. Roxy was in charge of costumes so I have no idea what they're going to look like."

Katy chuckled, imagining how badly that could turn out. "Are you going to the party tonight? Whit says she's going as Red Riding Hood."

"Mmmm… Roxy's decided that we should enter the couple's competition."

"But–?"

"I know, I know!" Ronnie held up her hands. "But she's convinced that it doesn't have to be _couple_ couples. I didn't have the energy to argue with her."

"Make sure you send me photos." Katy ordered, a sad smile on her face. "Of you two and the kids. And Gran, if you manage to convince her to dress up."

"I don't think I can convince her to do anything. I think she's going to the R&R with Kathy, though. Tiffany and Keegan are babysitting all the kids."

"Ouch. How are things going with them? Have you managed to convince them to hold back for a bit?"

"I don't think so." Ronnie admitted. "They're pig-headed, like someone else I know."

"I didn't run off and get married at sixteen."

"But you would have if you'd wanted to." Her mother pointed out, arching an eyebrow. "I've never been able to stop you doing much, have I?"

"It's not your fault, though." Katy assured her. "I'm… I'm a Mitchell."

Laughing softly, Ronnie squeezed her hand. "You are. So… how are you feeling?"

"Mum."

"Katy, I'm worried about you. I'm allowed to be, aren't I?"

"Fine!" Katy rolled her eyes. "I'm tired, feel sick all the time, don't want to move at all, they're constantly pumping me full of something or other and I just want to come home." When Ronnie looked as though she was about to say something, her daughter shook her head. "At least they're happy with the way things are looking so far."

"I know it's early days, but have they said anything about when you _can_ come home?"

"All I know is that it won't be until at least the end of the month." She said irritably.

"Out just in time for your birthday."

Katy shot her a look. "I do _not_ want a party or any fuss at all."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Speaking of parties… there's something I need to tell you."

At once Katy looked wary. "Oh god."

"No, no… it's nothing bad." Ronnie assured her quickly with a soft chuckle. "Roxy and I are thinking of buying Sharon's share of the e20." Seeing that her daughter was about to open her mouth, either to ask questions or complain, Ronnie continued quickly. "Mel's pressuring her to sell to Ruby, but Sharon hates that idea and I'm more than happy to do anything to upset Mel's plans."

"But… do you actually _want_ to run the club again… with someone else?"

"We're not going to try and steal your business, Katy."

"That's not what I asked." The younger woman sniffed dismissively. "Besides, you couldn't if you tried."

"So you're OK with it?"

Katy shrugged. "To be honest, I hated seeing Mel walking around literally owning the place. It never felt right knowing that you weren't in there."

Ronnie beamed at her. "Excellent. Just don't say anything to anyone at the moment… I think Sharon's got some dramatic reveal planned."

Sending her an amused look, Katy raised the arm that wasn't attached to a drip bag containing platelets. "Who, exactly, do you think I'm going to tell in here?"


	51. Chapter 51

As the days passed and Katy started to feel better, she grew more and more frustrated that she wasn't allowed to do anything. The doctor that visited her every day was refusing to even consider discharging her until at least the end of the month, meaning that she was facing another couple of weeks – at the very least – until she could go home.

Tina had been to visit since her return to the Square, telling Katy all the things that her family hadn't been. She spent a long time ranting about Linda's behaviour; unable to understand why she was so keen to continue spending time with the woman who'd been so vile about Ollie.

"But he's mates with your lot anyway so why is she so bothered about getting in with these other mums so that Ollie has mates. Don't you think it's weird?" Tina ranted, her irritation growing the more she thought about it.

"Nah, I ain't surprised at all, T." Katy told her with a shrug. "Let's face it, Matthew and the twins were never really good enough to be friends with precious little Ollie, were they? Linda only put up with them because there weren't exactly many other options round the Square, were there?"

"That's not–"

"It's true, Tina." Katy replied, rolling her eyes. "Remember the twins' birthday? Linda couldn't wait to leave, despite the fact that Ollie was loving his life. Besides, she's never invited _me_ out for drinks, has she?"

"Well, it's her loss, anyway."

"You're so sweet. I mean, who wouldn't want to hang out with this zombie, hooked up to god knows what 24/7."

Tina laughed. "You'll only be a zombie for a little bit longer, that Shelly is gonna be a bitch for the rest of her life."

That made Katy laugh as well, shaking her head and conceding that her friend had a point. Then she moved the conversation onto how things were going at the bar, wincing as Tina told her that Kathy was still annoyed that she'd just upped and left with Shirley for so long. Swearing Tina to secrecy, Katy told her what Ronnie had said about buying the e20 from Sharon.

"Isn't that going to effect the bar?"

"It shouldn't do." Katy shrugged. "We've been fine in business against the e20, this shouldn't change anything."

"Even though our promoter now owns half of that club?"

"It'll be fine, T, honestly. We'll make it work."

Apparently unconvinced, Tina knew better than to argue with the younger woman. Instead, they changed the topic of conversation to the brunette's Italian holiday. They were briefly interrupted when a nurse appeared to detach Katy from the now empty IV bag, the younger woman laughing as Tina winced and looked away.

They hadn't been talking for much longer, before Whitney appeared on the ward, glaring at her cousin and announcing that she needed to talk to her.

"Well… I'll leave you to it, then." Tina said, looking between the two younger women.

Neither of them spoke as they waited for Tina to gather her things and leave. Katy shot her a warm smile as she said goodbye, before turning towards Whitney seriously. The younger woman didn't need prompting and launched into a rant about what Tiffany had done now.

Before she even got to the end, Katy was swinging her legs out of the bed and grabbing her hoody from the chair, stating that she was not going to be left behind while everyone else went up to Scotland. Whitney did her best to argue, but Katy refused to listen.

She strode off the ward purposefully and, much to both of their surprise, no one stopped her. By the time they were in the back of a cab and heading back to Walford, Katy was already celebrating her freedom.

"If I'd known it'd be that easy I'd have done that ages ago."

"You do realise everyone is going to go mental when you turn up on the Square."

Katy shrugged. "What are they gonna do about it?"

That question was answered as the two young women appeared outside Jack's house just in time to witness him and Sonia flying through it looking extremely worried. Their expressions flitted between concern, relief and anger as they took in the sight of the blonde on the doorstep.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Her father demanded. "The hospital have just been on the phone saying you've gone missing."

"Well I'm not missing, am I? I'm here."

"But _why_ are you here?"

"You need to be in hospital, Katy." Sonia agreed, shaking her head. "You're not well enough to be–"

"Stuff that." The blonde frowned. "I'm not staying behind while you all go to Scotland."

"You're not serious?" Jack scowled at her. "You ain't coming with us."

"Yes I am."

"No, you ain't."

"Oh, got time to take me back to the hospital, have you?"

Jack growled with frustration, before glancing at Sonia. "Can you get on to the hospital and tell them we'll get her back as soon as possible."

"Uncle Jack…"

"She ain't gonna go quietly, Son, and we ain't got time to deal with her right now, have we?"

Shooting her cousin a glare, Sonia put in the call to the hospital as they all climbed into Jack's car. Whitney shook her head slightly at the broad grin on Katy's face, knowing that the journey would be incredibly tense. Not only were they trying ot track down Tiffany before she got to Scotland and married Keegan, but now Jack and Sonia would spend the entire journey scolding Katy for her irresponsible behaviour.

"You do realise that it's gonna take us over five hours to get up there and the same back." Sonia snapped, catching Katy's eyes in the rear view mirror. "That's at least eleven hours without your medication and when you'll be exposed to all sorts of germs. Your immune system is shot and–"

"I know all this, Sonia." Her cousin replied, rolling her eyes. "It was my choice, OK? I was losing my mind stuck in there with nothing to do. I'll be fine, alright?"

"I ain't exactly got a choice, have I?" The brunette shot back. Rooting in her bag, she pulled out a bottle of antibacterial hand gel and threw it over her shoulder. "Here… have this."

"What am I supposed to do with it?" Katy asked, genuinely confused. "Drink it?"

"No, you idiot, _don't_ drink it. Make sure you use it any time you touch something. It won't do much, but it'll go some way to helping you avoid some of the germs."

The journey was just as tense as Whitney had anticipated. Jack was point-blank refusing to speak to his daughter. Sonia alternated between phoning Bianca, complaining about Tiffany's stubbornness and muttering about Katy's stupidity. Katy was apparently unaffected by the atmosphere, staring out of the window with an unreadable expression on her face. Whitney had given up trying to get hold of anyone in the car they were trying to catch; her calls ringing out and going to answerphone every time.

Finally Jack spotted the signpost for the registry office and they turned off the main road, following a track until they reached a building set down below a bank and a large concrete space above it. The car stopped abruptly as Jack turned into a parking space, the doors almost opening before the engine was turned off.

"Are you sure this is the right registry office?" Whitney demanded, screwing up her nose as she looked around.

"Well if it's not, we're not the only ones who've got it wrong." Jack replied, motioning towards Mitch's van, which had skidded to a halt on the other side of the car park.

As they watched Karen running down the steps towards the building, Sonia shook her head. "She don't even know where she's going!"

"They ain't even here yet." Katy pointed out with a shrug, looking around the car park.

"How d'you know that?" Her father demanded, still apparently furious with her for leaving the hospital.

"Do you see a silver Audi anywhere?" She retorted, reminding them of the car Ben said was missing from The Arches.

The tension remained firmly in place as the two families came together, arguing about their next move. Keegan's family seemed to be blaming Tiffany's for the situation and vice versa. Tempers were flaring by the time they spotted the silver Audi turning into the car park.

"You're sixteen!" Sonia snapped, the second Tiffany climbed out of the back of the car.

"Listen to me, Tiff." Whitney started, attempting to be calm. "I know you think you love him, but you're making a terrible mistake."

"Look… have you really though about it?"

"And that's my dress."

As the sisters descended into an argument about the outfit Tiffany was wearing, Katy rolled her eyes and moved to lean against the car. Sonia shot her a concerned look, but the blonde simply shook her head and focused her eyes on the irritated redhead, hoping that her cousin would get the hint.

"Tiff!" Keegan called, immediately claiming his fiancée's attention. "Beale's admitted to setting me up. He said that he's gonna drop the charges, I've still got my business and I'm not gonna go down!"

"Oh my god!"

"See!" Sonia moved forward, keen to make the most of the situation. "See, you've had a wasted trip, haven't you? You've got all the time in the world to plan a wedding."

"Or live happily ever after in unwedded bliss." Karen chipped in.

There was a short pause as the couple apparently considered their options. Katy knew what was coming the second she saw the smile spreading slowly over Keegan's face.

"We're getting married today." Tiffany announced.

There was a slightly stunned silence at her words. Apparently everyone had assumed that, now the pressure was off, they'd rethink their plan and come round to their families' ways of thinking. Now, though, they didn't have much choice but to follow the young couple into the building and wait for their appointment time.

That didn't meant that anyone was remotely pleased about it. The arguing and complaining continued in the registry office waiting room. Jack seemed to have focused all of his irritation onto Katy and proceeded to tell her exactly how irresponsible and stupid she was being by leaving the hospital, while the others continued their attempts to change Tiffany and Keegan's minds.

"You know what," Keegan started suddenly, drawing their attention back to the matter in hand, "why can't any of you just be happy for us? You're ruining everything and you're upsetting Tiff."

"Well what d'you expect us to do?" His mother demanded, just as angrily. "Just smile and watch you make the biggest mistake of your life?"

"Nah… you know what, Mum, I don't expect you to do anything." He shot back. "I didn't even want you to be here because this is exactly how I knew you'd be. So stop your moaning and all your shouting and go back to Walford, yeah?"

"You don't mean that…" Karen's voice was almost inaudible as she stared at her son with devastation written all over her face.

He exhaled sharply. "My job is to look after Tiff; to love her, protect her and make her happy, but all you lot are doing are upsetting her and I'm sick of it! I've had enough!"

"Good on ya." Jack's voice from beside her made Katy jump and look at him in slight surprise.

Stepping forward, Whitney removed one of her rings and held it out to him. "Keegan…"

"That you, Whit."

"I'm proud of you, son."

Katy smiled, leaning into her father's side as Jack wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her head; their argument completely forgotten.

"Well I'm not." Karen broke the spell that had fallen over them all, stepping forward as Keegan turned to look at her. "Getting married with your collar like that and what's that muck on your face?" As she spat on her hanky and proceeded to rub at his cheek, everyone relaxed. "When Tiff sees her husband for the first time, she don't wanna see you covered in muck. And you make sure you're standing straight, alright? And speak clearly, yeah, so that everyone can hear ya. My boy's getting married."

"Right… you just make sure you tell your mum I did everything I could to stop ya, right? You're a beautiful bride." Sonia told her, stepping forward and pulling Tiffany into a tight hug.

"Right… let's do this!" Bailey announced enthusiastically.

"Mr Baker? Miss Butcher?"

Immediately everyone turned to the woman who'd called their names, eagerly anticipating the wedding.

"Are you ready for us, yeah?"

"No. You were told three o'clock and you arrived late."

"Yeah… we… we got lost."

"Well I'm sorry, but there were a few things to go over before hand and also some payments to balance and the venue's now closed." The woman told them bluntly. "We do have a slot a week on Tuesday."

Silence fell over the assembled family members, until they all started arguing and complaining at the same time. Katy was amused that everyone had changed their opinions so much in such a short space of time that they were now angry that Tiffany and Keegan _couldn't_ get married after all.

Before anyone could do anything, Tiffany had rushed away in the direction of the toilets. Keegan was immediately on her heels. The rest of them split up; Karen, Sonia and Whitney headed furiously after the woman who had broken the news and then retreated sharply, while the others wandered outside towards the car park.

"It's out of order, init?"

"All this way for nothing."

"Should I go to Tiff?" Bernie asked, looking around in concern.

"Nah, I think best let Keeg deal with it, Bern."

Katy was about to say something about how much their opinions had altered, when the doors flew open and the three women appeared, still looking furious. Clearly they'd had no luck changing the woman's mind.

"Flaming liberty, that's what this is." Karen announced as she marched towards them. "Agincourt all over again!"

"That was the French." Bailey corrected her unhelpfully.

"Yeah, well, one of them wars with Mel Gibson in." Spotting someone on the other side of the car park, she pointed wildly. "Here! That's him!"

"Who?"

"The registrar! Yeah, I saw him marrying them blokes earlier. OI!"

Thoroughly amused, Katy followed on as everyone marched towards the man who was just about to climb into his car. He looked startled at the sight of so many people with irritated expressions (not counting the grinning blonde at the back of the rabble) striding towards him.

"My son's come all the way from London to get married," Karen told him angrily, "so you better sort yourself out and marry him."

"He arrived too late."

Karen threw herself dramatically onto the bonnet of his car, causing Katy to have to bite her lips together to stop herself laughing out loud. "You ain't going nowhere."

"Get off my car!"

"No!"

"Not 'til you agree to marry him."

"I'll call the police." The registrar threatened.

"Jack! Show him."

Fishing his warrant card out of his pocket, Jack stepped forward and held it out so that the man could see. The look of resignation on the registrar's face, combined with the expression of completely satisfied triumph on Karen's and the serious expressions on everyone else's was almost too much for Katy and she turned her back on the situation to compose herself for a moment, before looking back at the man.

"Come on then, what else you got?"


	52. Chapter 52

The revelation of Sharon and Ronnie's plan to get one over on Mel and Ruby had been postponed after Katy's escape from hospital and Tiffany and Keegan's wedding. They had planned to announce it after Sharon had signed the papers from Ruby's solicitor, knowing that they had absolutely no value as she'd already signed over her shares of the business to Ronnie. The smug expression on Mel's face was almost enough for Sharon to blurt out the truth, but she had managed to contain it until the moment she and Ronnie had agreed upon.

Ronnie had, understandably, been distracted by her daughter's antics and concerned about her wellbeing after being out of hospital for so long. Katy had waved away the concern, telling everyone she felt perfectly fine and, seeing as she was back in one piece, they needed to stop fussing.

On Monday, Ronnie and Sharon met outside the e20 and headed inside to reveal the news. Ruby was in the office with Mel when they entered, both looking up at the intrusion with differing expressions on their faces. The smug expression that seemed perpetually present on Mel's face was in full force, while Ruby seemed confused about why they might be there.

"How can we help you?" The blonde asked imperiously, her lips twisted into a smirk as she regarded them.

"I've just come to see how things are going. Maybe decide whether I want to change a few things in here."

Ruby frowned in confusion, glancing at Mel quickly, before turning back to the blondes in the doorway. "I don't understand. Why would you change things here?"

"I should have told you before we signed those papers… at that point this club wasn't mine to sign over."

"What?" Suddenly Mel looked thunderous. "What are you talking about?"

"Sharon had already sold her share of the club to me." Ronnie informed them simply, before turning to Ruby. "I guess that makes us business partners."

The expression on Mel's face told them that the matter was far from over, even as she stormed past them and slammed her way out of the office. Sharon smirked, before squeezing Ronnie's forearm and heading out as well. The brunette leant back in her chair behind the desk slightly dejectedly, something that made her new business partner smile even more broadly.

* * *

The aftermath of the crash and Mel's death sent shockwaves through Walford. Even Katy, safe in her hospital bed once more, felt the repercussions of the situation. Ronnie had broken the news to her daughter, telling her everything that had happened and clutching her hand tightly the whole time.

Katy stared open-mouthed as her mother talked, gripping the hand in hers and realising that she didn't want to let go. Her mind wandered back to how it had felt to lose her mother and Roxy, when she'd thought they were dead, causing a physical pain to burn in her chest. She shook her head slowly when Ronnie trailed off, looking at her tearfully.

"I missed you so much, Mum. I don't… I don't ever want to go through that again. It hurt so much more than anything I've been through before or since. Please don't…"

"I promise I will never do anything like that ever again." Ronnie assured her seriously. "I know… I know it's completely my fault that things have changed between us, but can we try and get back to how we were. I missed you, too."

Nodding decisively, Katy shuffled against the pillow and made herself more comfortable. Ronnie arched an eyebrow as her daughter started talking about going home; making plans for her return to the Square and the bar. Her mother exhaled deeply, knowing that it would do no good to argue the case. She was sure that Katy would be too tired when she got home to think about work when she didn't have to, but the inevitable argument if she said anything was not something she wanted to cause, especially after the argument Katy had had with everyone once she'd been returned to the hospital after her impromptu trip to Scotland.

* * *

"Welcome home!"

Katy winced slightly at the raucous, excited shout from the children as she walked into the flat. Glenda beamed at her, before moving forward, gathering her granddaughter in her arms and hugging her tightly. Once she'd gently disentangled herself, Katy gingerly settled on the sofa, allowing Ruby to burrow into her side. The twins and Matthew were eager to show her things they'd made and drawn while she was away, bringing her their school reading books proudly.

"How're you feeling?" Jack asked, leaning on the back of the sofa and resting his chin on the top of his daughter's head.

Katy grinned, tilting her head back so that she could look at him. "I'm fine."

"You're not gonna run before you can walk, are you?"

"Have I ever?"

"Only constantly."

Laughing, she shrugged her shoulders. "I just wanna get back to normal."

"Katy… you ain't fit enough to–"

"I'm well aware of my capabilities, dad." She told him, her tone signalling that it wasn't a subject that was up for debate. "But I ain't gonna be sitting around like some kind of invalid."

The rest of the evening passed without any arguments. Most of the family and Katy's friends popped in over the next few hours to see her and tell her how glad they were that she was home. Touched by the sentiments, Katy felt even more determined to get herself back to normal as soon as possible.

When the children asked about Christmas decorations, Glenda promised to take them to find a tree the next day. Katy told them that, while she wasn't sure she'd be able to go on the tree hunt with them, she was looking forward to decorating the house when they got home. Ronnie had smiled and tentatively asked whether she would be welcome to join in, causing her daughter to roll her eyes and reply that the older woman was paying.

Later in the evening, once the children had been put to bed, Katy finally had time for a proper, much needed conversation with her best friend.

"So… joint birthday party?" Whitney asked, flopping against the cushions beside Katy.

"I'm not sure I'll be up to it, babe. You'll have much more fun without me."

"Shut up! We have a joint party every year." Whitney argued, conveniently forgetting about the birthdays Katy had spent away from the Square. "It won't be the same without you."

"Don't be stupid. You'll have a great time." Katy laughed, shaking her head.

"You'll at least come out for a couple of drinks, won't you? You haven't even met Leo properly."

Katy frowned, suddenly remembering the man. "Yeah… I thought you were gonna back off for a while. Didn't we have a deal?"

"When you meet him you'll understand, K." Whitney assured her, leaning forward and beaming. "He's so great. Leo is so caring and thoughtful… he's everything I need after everything I've been through."

"Whit…"

"Please, K… just meet him before you start judging him? You're so judgemental and you don't even know him!"

"I'm not judging him." The older woman replied, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, you are… you can't help yourself."

"Are we seriously doing this? Now?"

"Just give Leo a chance, babe, please."

"I never said I wouldn't." Katy pointed out. "You just assumed I wouldn't."

"So you will?"

"Never said that, either."

Whitney let out an irritated huff. "You're the worst."

"You've missed me, then?" Laughing, her friend nudged her in the side. "I'll come for a few drinks and talk to him before I make up my mind, alright?"

"I suppose that's all I can ask for." The younger woman groused. "You're gonna love him, I know it."

Katy wasn't so sure, unable to get her conversations about him with Ben and Callum out of her mind. She knew, though, that at the moment, before she'd properly met Leo, Whitney wouldn't listen to anything she had to say on the matter.

A short while later, everyone said their goodbyes and Katy was left in peace. Only Glenda and Ronnie remained in the kitchen, washing up the glasses that had been left and bickering quietly. Katy smiled fondly, shaking her head at the sound, before stifling a large yawn. She was just considering telling them that she was going to bed when the two older blondes appeared in the doorway. From the expressions on their faces she knew instantly that they were about to say something she, presumably, wouldn't like very much.

"We've been talking and we think–"

"Are you about to interfere with my life?"

"Only for your own good, sweetie." Ronnie assured her quickly. "We're not trying to tell you what to do or take over, we just want to help."

"Your mother is right," Glenda agreed, slightly bitterly, "as much as it pains me to admit."

Katy snorted. "Well that's fucking worrying."

"We think that I should move in here with you, just for a little while." Ronnie continued, ignoring their comments. "I'll sleep on the sofa, but we think that there should be someone here with you, just in case."

"Gran would be downstairs if I needed her." Katy pointed out, not best pleased with the idea at all. "But I won't need her. I'm absolutely fine."

"Now you're just being stupid." Glenda snapped. "You've just been discharged after a stem cell transplant. You know full well that they only let you leave on the condition that I was living here with you."

"And you are in the same house," her granddaughter replied grumpily, "I never said you were in the same flat."

"Katy, you're being ridiculous." Ronnie told her bluntly. "You know as well as I do that you're nowhere near ready to get back to normal life. You're not strong enough to go back to work, let alone going out for a drink with Whitney."

"Mum–"

"You know that you can't put yourself in situations where you might catch something. Your immune system–"

"I'm well aware of that!" The young woman snapped. "But I'm more likely to catch something here, from the kids, than I am from Whit at the pub!"

"It's not worth the risk, Katy."

"I've got weekly appointments and they'll tell me the second it looks like I'm in danger of getting ill." Katy reasoned, forcing herself to speak with a more placating, reassuring tone. "I'm not putting my life on hold because of this, Mum… Gran. I've missed out on enough."

The two older women exchanged a look, clearly trying to work something out.

Then Ronnie sighed deeply. "Fine. Fine, we won't try and stop you going to the bar or seeing Whitney, on two conditions."

"I'm not a child; you can't set me conditions."

"You're _my_ child… Glenda's grandchild. We only want to keep you safe and help you recover as quickly as possible."

"At least listen to the conditions, darling." Glenda urged her, reaching out and squeezing her hand.

"Go on, then."

"The first is that you let me move in here." Ronnie told her sternly. Katy guessed that her mother would be staying whether she agreed or not. "The second is that if you do go back to work you only work for a couple of hours a day and that you stay in the office. No evening shifts at all."

Katy considered her words for a moment. "Fine."

Both Glenda and Ronnie looked a little surprised that she had agreed so easily. They exchanged a quick look, evidently wondering whether she was planning something or attempting to lull them into a false sense of security. Seeing their hesitation, Katy let out a long sigh.

"I'm not an idiot. I know I can't go back full time straight away and I definitely won't be up to any late shifts for a while." Katy shrugged. "But you can't sleep on the sofa; you'll knacker your back. You should take Matthew's bed and he can come in with me or swap with Ruby or something."

"Katy…"

"What? That's what you wanted me to agree to, right? I just think that if you're going to stay here you'll need to sleep in an actual bed or you won't be much use."

Ronnie smiled at her, before glancing sideways at Glenda. The older woman met her gaze for a moment, before nodding wordlessly. She cleared her throat and offered to put the kettle on, squeezing her granddaughter's shoulder as she passed and wandered into the kitchen.


	53. Chapter 53

"Katy! I didn't expect to see you here." Dot exclaimed, a broad smile on her face as the younger woman entered the kitchen with a card and gift bag in her hand. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Grandma." Katy assured her, smiling softly and accepting the tight hug. "I've missed you."

"You're just in time to help blowing up balloons." Tiffany announced, pushing a handful of latex into her hand.

"Can't… just had a transplant, sorry."

Laughing as her cousin rolled her eyes and moved away to blow the balloons up herself, Katy dropped into one of the chairs. She waved away Dot's offer to make her a cup of tea, before smiling at Sonia who repeated it. They chatted for a while, before Sonia disappeared off on some mission or other, passing Whitney's boyfriend on the doorstep.

The others greeted him like an old friend, Dot introducing her elder granddaughter proudly. Leo smiled and said that Whitney had spoken about her a lot, claiming that he hadn't known that they were actually related before. Dot chuckled, shaking her head and explaining that Katy was Jack's daughter.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Katy wondered at his reaction. At the mention of her father, the young man's eyes had widened and his entire body seemed to tense. Interestedly, she watched him for a little while longer, her curiosity increasing as he apparently forced himself to act naturally. The way his eyes flickered back to her, apparently of their own accord, several times during the conversation made her wonder what about her being Jack's daughter had caused such a reaction from him.

Making up her mind to ask Jack about the young man, determined to find out what was causing the strange behaviour, Katy tried to focus on the bickering between Dotty and seemingly everyone else in the room.

"Oh!" Tiffany suddenly cut across the conversation quickly, wafting her arm in the direction of the hallway as they all heard the front door opening. "She's here… she's here!"

"Stand down." Sonia rolled her eyes as she entered the kitchen. "It's only me!"

"Son, I'm glad you're here," Dot announced as Katy smiled up at her cousin, "because I wanted everybody here so that they could hear my important news."

"You're pregnant?"

Katy snorted at Tiffany's question, managing to spit tea down herself, before holding up a hand in apology. "Sorry, Grandma."

"What is it, Grandma?" Dotty asked, clearly keen to hear what the news was.

"Well, Kirsty, I had a letter from the solicitor this morning. The council have finally completed on me house purchase, so I finally own me own home!" Dot announced triumphantly, looking at each member of her family in turn as they congratulated her.

"I shall have to take you out down that little Italian down the high street, won't I?" Sonia suggested, pressing a kiss to the older woman's cheek.

Dotty smirked. "Gosh, Sonia, don't get a splinter. You're really pushing the boat out, aren't you?"

No one was able to respond to her sarcastic comment, although she received several dirty looks, because the front door opened again and they all prepared themselves for Whitney's imminent arrival. The expression on the young woman's face as she opened the kitchen door and was faced by her family and boyfriend shouting happy birthday shifted rapidly between shock, pleasant surprise and happiness. Katy laughed as Whitney pointed to the 'happy 40th birthday' balloon and complained good-naturedly, unsurprised when Tiffany told her that it had been Dotty's idea.

"Happy birthday, Whit, for yesterday." Tiff handed her a card before anyone else could move. "I hope Ryan spoiled you rotten."

"Yeah, he did." Her older sister agreed with a grin. "D'you know what else he said? He said it makes a change getting you a birthday present instead of a wedding gift."

"I mean, he's not wrong, is he?" Katy chipped in, laughing lightly. "I nearly got confused myself."

"Cheeky cow." Whitney stuck out her tongue, before looking towards Leo. "So? Is this your doing?"

"It was more a team effort." He said with a smile. "And we're doing drinks later in the Vic."

"Oh yeah, but not before your present." Tiffany said, turning to fix the young man with a meaningful look.

Katy arched an eyebrow as he moved forward, pulling a box out of his inside jacket pocket and held it out to her. Leo removed the lid, revealing the necklace, smiling warmly at his girlfriend as he did so.

"It's your birthstone," he told her, unnecessarily in Katy's opinion, "blue Topaz."

"Look at that." Whitney turned to the others, apparently gobsmacked by the gift.

"It matches those eyes."

"It's really beautiful."

"It meant a lot, you know, that you believed me over all that stuff with Jack."

"Good looking, thoughtful and a good job; what's not to like?" Dotty asked, eyeing Leo up and down.

"He's a keeper, alright." Whitney agreed with a giggle.

Katy suddenly felt a little guilty at her reaction to the young man and his gift; Whitney deserved to be treated and Leo was clearly intent on doing that. She wondered what it said about her that she was immediately even more suspicious of the young man because of it.

"Right… cake." Sonia announced, breaking the moment.

Katy shook her head, standing up carefully and smiling around. "Not for me, ta. Got a hospital appointment, so I'd better get home before Mum sends out a search party!"

Not wanting to catch sight of the sympathetic looks she knew were on most of the faces in the kitchen, Katy said her goodbyes and headed out of the house. As she'd suspected, Ronnie was pacing the living room when she arrived and immediately started lecturing her daughter about traffic and appointment times and what would happen if they were late. Glenda smirked at Katy, pressing a kiss to her head and telling her she hoped everything went well.

* * *

"K?"

Katy jerked awake at the sound of the flat door banging open. She shot upright on the sofa, looking around blearily and trying to get her bearings. It took her until Tiffany appeared in the living room to realise who was calling her name. It took a while longer for her to remember why her cousin was there in the first place.

"You still want me to do your nails?"

"Oh!" Katy shook her head. "I'd completely forgotten. Thanks, Tiff."

"No worries, I figured you could do with a bit of pampering after having them prodding and poking at you earlier."

Laughing, the blonde leant back on the sofa and let Tiffany examine the state of her nails. She chuckled fondly at the genuine horror that her cousin was expressing as she looked at them, before shaking her head and telling her to do whatever she felt was necessary.

"Katy… what d'you reckon about Whit's bloke?" Tiffany asked suddenly.

The older girl frowned slightly, looking up from her nails and meeting her cousin's eyes. "Leo?"

"What other bloke has Whit got on the go?" The redhead asked sarcastically. "Of course I mean Leo."

Katy sighed. "I barely know him. I've met him like twice."

"Yeah, but you're always banging on about first impressions and gut feelings." Tiffany pressed. "What d'you reckon to him?"

"I don't trust him, OK? There's something about him that just… something about him just doesn't feel right. The way he looked at me yesterday when Grandma told him I was Jack's daughter… there's something not right." She paused, looking at the younger woman curiously. "You feel the same way, don't you?"

"It's just… Callum said that Leo had bought flowers and gone to some graveyard, but when he asked him about it Leo went mad and threatened him." Tiffany admitted. "Callum said he's worried about Whit…"

Sighing deeply again, the blonde shrugged. "I know what Callum did was really shitty, but he does care about her. Him and Ben spoke to me about Leo at the beginning… Callum didn't trust him then."

"I met him at Whit and Callum's wedding."

"What?"

"Leo… he was there. We chatted and Mum went all weird about it… warned me off."

"Bianca knew him?"

"I dunno… she wouldn't say… just said he was too old or something."

"I reckon you should ring her and ask what she knows." Katy said thoughtfully. Seeing the expression on Tiffany's face, she smiled weakly. "I know, Tiff, but if she knows something and she can help… if there's something we need to know… you need to speak to her."

Huffing loudly, but unable to dispute what she was being told, Tiffany pulled out her mobile and called her mother. Katy listened with interest to her side of the conversation, her face falling instinctively as she watched Tiffany's eyes go wide and all of the colour drain from her face. She stood quickly, stepping towards the younger woman as Tiffany shook her head, looking terrified.

"Katy… Leo isn't who he says he is." Tiffany gabbled, her words barely distinguishable, as soon as she ended the call. "He's Tony King's son."

"You fucking _what_, Tiff?"

Katy gaped at her, standing as still as a statue in the doorway and unable to completely comprehend what she had heard. When the redhead repeated herself, forcing the older woman to accept that she hadn't misheard, Katy pulled herself together and grabbed her coat off the pegs. She immediately directed her cousin towards Kathy and Ian's, where she had seen Callum and Ben not long before.

As she'd expected, her cousin opened the front door and ushered them into the front room where Callum was lounging on the sofa. As Tiffany briefly berated him for not answering her calls, before explaining the situation, Katy turned to Ben and shook her head, warning him that she was not in the mood for games or arguments.

"I'll drive." Ben offered immediately, leading the way out of the house as Callum managed to get his call to the hotel put through to the correct room.

With no arguments, they all piled into the back of Ben's car and sped around the Square. Katy and Tiffany kept trying Whitney's mobile, but it was constantly turned off. Their panic grew as more and more time passed and they were still unable to get hold of her.

"Can you not drive any faster?" Katy demanded irritably as they sped through the streets. She let out a noise of frustration as Callum was forced to brake at a set of traffic lights. "Fuck's sake…"

"I'm doing the best I can, alright?" He snapped, catching her eyes in the rear view mirror.

"We need to get there, Ben." Tiffany pointed out unnecessarily. "We have to stop him doing something to her."

"We will, alright." Callum tried to promise them; not doing much to calm either young woman down, let alone convince them. "We'll get there and make sure she's safe."

"We better or I'm holding you responsible."

"Me?" Callum frowned, making eye contact with Katy in the mirror.

"Yeah, _you_." She snapped back, folding her arms and glaring out of the window.

When they finally arrived at the hotel Whitney had checked into on Facebook, the two women were out of the car and up the steps before Callum even had the chance to stop the engine. He joined them at the reception desk; all three of them talking at the same time and demanding to be taken to the room that Leo had booked.

By the time the receptionist complied with their demands and called a porter over to take them up, each of them was on the verge of causing physical damage to something or someone. Callum led the way along the corridor, pushing past the porter and into the room as soon as the door was opened, calling her name agitatedly.

There was no sign of either of them in the room and the trio looked at each other in concern. Seconds later, they all jumped when Whitney emerged from the bathroom, looking far more calm and put together than any of them. She looked between them in something resembling surprise for a moment, before resignation clouded her features.

"Are you OK?" Tiffany demanded breathlessly.

"Yeah, fine." Her older sister agreed with a smile.

"Where is he?"

"Umm… he left. He's gone."

"What happened?"

"Umm… it doesn't matter."

"Whit… it does matter." Katy pressed, determined to hear what had happened and what Leo had said or done to her best friend. "You need to tell us."

When she just smiled weakly and shook her head, Callum stepped forwards. "Are you sure you're OK? D'you want us to call the police or…?"

"No." Whitney replied at once, covering Katy's dismissive snort with her response. "No. It's over now."

"Well let's get you home, then, yeah?"

"D'you know what… I think I'll be alright on my own." Whitney told them, picking up her bags and looking between the trio slowly.

As she turned at left, they exchanged a look, knowing that it would do no good to argue or go after her. Katy glanced around the hotel room slowly, her eyes seeking out any hint or clue as to what had gone on or where Leo might have gone. Not answering, she merely nodded slowly and followed the others out into the corridor and down to the waiting car.


	54. Chapter 54

"Katy… I need to talk to you about summit."

Frowning, she glanced at the display of her mobile, sure that she had misrecognised the voice on the other end of the call. Confirming that it was, indeed, her cousin's name, she frowned even more.

"Ben?"

"Look, my dad thinks your dad is having an affair with Sharon. He's on the warpath. He wants to kill him, Katy."

"You _what_?"

"Ever since Lisa told him that Sharon's baby ain't his he's been winding himself up and now he's come to the conclusion that it must be Jack's."

"Well that's absolute bullshit." She muttered, shaking her head. "Ben… you can't seriously believe that–?"

"I found one of Sharon's necklaces at his place."

"You what?" Katy pulled herself up to sit straighter on the sofa. "Ben, seriously… there's no way that Dad's having an affair with Sharon. Don't you think he's got enough on his plate at the moment?"

"He's got form, ain't he?"

"Yeah, alright, but think about it logically, Ben. He's got a new job, all the kids to deal with, my cancer, Mum and Rox coming back _and_ his relationship with Denise… when, exactly, do you and Phil think he's found time to be having an affair with Sharon?"

"When you put it like that…"

"So, if Sharon is having an affair – and it wouldn't surprise me at all – then it ain't with my dad, alright?"

Ben cleared his throat and mumbled something that sounded like an agreement, before speaking again. "How's Whitney after yesterday?"

"Yeah… she wasn't good when I saw her this morning, but Tiff and the others were gonna take her out this afternoon, so hopefully they've managed to cheer her up a bit."

"And that Leo guy?"

"Gone, as far as we know." She said bitterly. "I swear to god, Ben, if I see him round here again…"

"I can easily imagine what you'd do to him."

"Yeah, well, I might be calling on you again."

Ben chuckled softly. "We've been there before, ain't we?"

"Yeah, we have." She smirked. "Good thing we're on _slightly_ better terms these days, init?"

"Yeah."

"As long as you keep your dad away from mine."

"Well unless we find out summit to clear Jack's name then Dad ain't gonna be too easy to convince he's innocent." Ben told her seriously. "He's properly got it in for him this time."

"D'you even know that Sharon is having an affair? You've just got that weirdo Lisa's word for it that the baby ain't Phil's."

"Yeah, well, Dad believes it."

"That's Phil's problem, init." Katy muttered, rolling her eyes. "Act first and think later."

"You can talk."

Snorting, she shrugged. "Nah, I always think first. I mean, I still do questionable things, but I definitely think about it first."

"Do me a favour, would ya?"

"You what? You want me to do you a favour now? You literally just told me your dad wants to kill mine and you're expecting me to do you a favour?"

"It's for Lex more than me." Ben told her. "Will you take her to Walford Winterland with Matthew and the girls this afternoon?"

Katy paused for a moment. "Why?"

"I told Lola I'd take her, but I've gotta try and calm my dad down before he actually takes yours out."

"Look, Ben, I'd love to," she admitted softly, "but I can't even take my own kids this year. I asked Gran, but she won't take money from me and she's a bit skint."

"I'll bung her some cash; she'll take it from me, won't she?"

"Yeah, she probably will." Rolling her eyes, Katy had to admit he was almost definitely right. "Ben… I know you don't exactly like my dad, but he is my _dad_. Please just… don't let Phil do anything to him until we figure this out, alright?"

"Katy, that's _my_ dad you're talking about." Ben reminded her. "If Jack's sleeping with his wife–"

"But he ain't. I know he ain't."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know him." She replied firmly. "He ain't having an affair with Sharon."

Her cousin let out a long breath. "I hope for your sake you're right and you can prove it."

"I do know, though, that if Phil lays a finger on him he'll go down for a long time. Dad's back in the job… even Phil can't mess with the law and come out the other side."

"You try telling him that."

Ending the call, Katy leant back against the sofa cushions and let her eyes slip shut. She knew that, if Phil really was as sure that Jack was having an affair with Sharon as Ben was making out, he wouldn't stop until he got his revenge. She knew that it would end incredibly badly for her father and also knew that they needed to find out the truth and come up with a contingency plan to avert the inevitable.

Pulling out her mobile, she dialled her father's number and waited impatiently for him to answer. As soon as the call connected, she opened her mouth to speak, but he was faster.

"Katy, now's not a great time."

"Dad, it's important. I really need to ask you–"

"I can't hear you…" He told her, the background noise supporting his claim. "I'm at Winterland with Amy and Ricky."

"Dad… I need to talk to you about–"

"I'll give you a ring later, alright?" Jack said, clearly not listening to her.

"Dad, seriously, it's really–"

The line went dead and Katy only just restrained herself from throwing the phone across the room. Instead, she phoned Ronnie and asked her to come back to the flat. She didn't explain why it was so important that she saw her straight away, but the tone of her voice was enough to panic her mother into dropping everything and rushing home.

"Mum… Phil thinks Dad is sleeping with Sharon." She blurted out the second Ronnie entered the room. "He's gonna kill him."

"What?" The older blonde dropped down onto the cushions beside her daughter and stared, open-mouthed, in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"Ben told me." Katy said quickly. "He called to warn me that Phil was out for revenge."

"Have you asked Jack?" Ronnie asked, tilting her head slightly. The grim expression on her face gave away her irritation immediately. "What's he said about it?"

Katy frowned at her. "It's not true. Dad is _not_ having an affair with _Sharon_."

"How can you be so sure?"

"For god's sake, Mum." She rolled her eyes. "If Dad was going to have an affair with anyone, it would be _you_. I know it, you know it… hell, even _Denise_ knows it."

"That ship has sailed." Ronnie told her firmly, not convincing her daughter for a second. "But this isn't about me and your father, it's about whether he's sleeping with Sharon."

"He's not… I'm sure of it."

"You have proof?"

"Of course not." Katy frowned at her. "How and why would I have proof of that?"

"We're gonna need something if we're going to convince Phil he's got the wrong man. Where's Jack now?"

"He's taken Ricky and Amy to the Winterland. Gran's taking the rest of the kids… at least Phil can't do anything to him there in front of so many people."

"Let me talk to him… I'll make him see that Jack's not the one he's after." Ronnie suggested determinedly.

"You know as well as I do that Phil ain't just gonna take your word for it." Katy told her bluntly. Then she sighed deeply. "Look… I told Tina I'd go and help out at the bar for a bit later. Maybe I should tell her I can't…"

"No, we carry on as normal. I'll go and speak to Phil then try and get hold of Jack. If you suddenly announce that you're not going into work, after kicking up merry hell when we said you shouldn't, people are going to think there's something wrong."

"Mum… we have to stop Phil doing something to him. I've just got you and Roxy back and I cannot lose Dad now."

"Nothing is going to happen to him, sweetie, I promise you."

"You can't make that promise." Katy pointed out. "We both know Phil and if he seriously thinks Dad is having an affair with Sharon then he ain't gonna stop and he ain't gonna see sense until he gets his revenge."

Ronnie exhaled sharply, knowing that her daughter was right. Unable to say much to convince her that everything would turn out positively, she simply promised to let her know if she found anything out or there were any developments and left the flat.

While she got ready to head over to the bar, Katy kept trying Jack's mobile. He didn't answer any of her calls and, finally, she admitted defeat and gave up. On her way over to the R&R, the young woman kept her eyes peeled for any sign of any of the men she needed to know the whereabouts of. The walk was disappointingly quiet and Katy shut herself away in the office as soon as she was able to.

Every time there was a tap on the door she was half hopeful, half fearful that it would be news of the one-sided feud between her father and step-uncle. It never was, though, which fuelled her anxiety and discomfort about the whole situation.

At about half past ten there was a knock on the door and Katy looked up in time to see the door opening and her best friend pushing her way into the room. As the smile fell from the blonde's face, Whitney arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, expecting someone more interesting, were you?" She asked, almost irritably.

"No… nothing like that. It's just… family stuff, you know?"

"Yeah, I bumped into Ronnie and she said you were over here."

"Asked you to come and check up on me, did she?"

"No!" Whitney answered, just a little too quickly to be convincing.

"Whatever… there's something I've been meaning to ask you, anyway." Katy said, flicking absent-mindedly through the paperwork in front of her. "The kids would love it if you came to their Christmas show. It's on Thursday at two."

"Don't you need tickets for that?" Whitney asked, sounding a little unsure.

"Yeah, but you get two per family, so between us and our bonkers situation we've got eight." The older woman explained. "Mum's given her spare one to Gran and I've kinda promised Dad and Roxy's spares to Tina and Shirl so they can go and watch Ollie. That leaves my spare one for you. If you don't wanna come, I'll give the ticket to Grandma Dot."

"It's not that I don't wanna come," Whitney assured her quickly, "I just don't know if I can get someone to cover the stall."

"Well… let me know. I'm sure Grandma won't have too many plans."

"K, it's not that I don't want to come; I'd love to. I'm just not sure whether I'll be able to."

"Yeah, right…" Katy sighed, knowing that Whitney probably deserved more of her attention than she was able to give at the moment. "Look, Whit… now's not really a great time for a chat. I'm sorry, I just… I can't focus right now. Can we meet for a coffee or something tomorrow and then I promise I'll listen to you moaning or ranting or whatever you want."

Whitney frowned at her for a moment, clearly wondering what was distracting Katy so much that she wasn't even willing to gossip. "Alright… you OK, though?"

"Yeah… I'm fine."

Nodding, Whitney said goodnight and headed out of the office, pulling the door closed behind her. Katy immediately reached for her mobile, glancing at the display and flopping back in her chair when she realised that she had no messages or missed calls. Not even Ronnie had let her know what was going on.

Irritably, needing to be distracted for a while, Katy decided to break her promise and head out into the bar to find Tina in the hopes that her friend would take her mind off her worries for a while.

* * *

_**A/N: Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a drama-free day!**_

_**x**_


	55. Chapter 55

"I need your help."

The words alone might not have been enough for Katy to take him seriously, but combined with the expression on Ben's face and the fact that he was there at all, made her nod slowly instead of immediately rejecting him. She leant back in her chair and watched her cousin carefully wondering what was worrying him so much that he'd come to her for advice.

"Again? This is twice in one day." She reminded him. Then she leant forward anxiously. "Is this about my dad?"

"No. No… it's about me."

There was a long pause before Ben spoke again. Katy watched him for a moment, before getting impatient and arching an eyebrow.

"Well?"

"Callum wants to join the police."

Unable to stop herself, Katy aborted with amusement. "You what? How do you feel about that?"

"I ain't particularly happy, obviously." He confirmed her suspicions immediately, a scowl twisting his features. "But that ain't why I'm here."

"So what?"

"Shirl says that Dad's started losing business because of it. Callum told Tubbs he was planning on joining the police and word's got around."

"I bet Phil's delighted about that..."

"He don't know yet. I asked Shirl to let me try and deal with it before she told him."

"Deal with it how, Ben?" Katy asked seriously, all taxes of amusement gone from her tone and expression. She leant forward fixing him with a slightly wary look. "You can't just order Callum to give up on his dream. What kind of boyfriend would you be if you did that?"

"I tried that and it didn't work anyway." Ben admitted. When she rolled her eyes, unsurprised that he had thought that was a good idea, he scowled at her. "Don't judge me. You'd have done the same."

"I don't think I would." She argued.

"So you didn't try to convince Jack not to go back to being a copper?"

"Not really." She muttered irritably. "Besides, this ain't about Dad. Contrary to popular belief, I don't hate you enough to wanna see you lose Callum. You're marginally less of a twat when you're happy."

"That's all well and good, but I don't see that I'll have much choice."

"So you'd honestly end things with Callum to save face with those disgusting men?" Katy arched an eyebrow. "Maybe you should, then. He deserves better than that."

"That ain't helpful, you know."

"I dunno what you expect from me, Ben." She admitted with a shrug. "I can tell you not to end it with Callum or I can tell you that maybe you should. I don't know which you actually want to hear."

"Neither do I."

Katy let out a long sigh and leant back in her chair. "Look… when you came back to the Square I _hated_ you. Now… well, let's face it; we're never gonna be mates, are we? But we're family and, ridiculous as it sounds, I do actually want you to be happy and settled and all of that."

"Because I'm less likely to affect you if I'm happy?"

"Obviously." The blonde sent him a crooked smile before leaning forward and fixing him with a serious look. "You want my advice? Callum is more important than a few guys who'd knock you out as soon as look at you. Don't throw everything away to save face, Ben. You'll regret it if you do."

"Is that what you did? With Tyler?" Ben asked curiously.

"No. Surely you know me well enough to know that I'd do the opposite?"

"So what _did_ happen?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Katy told him firmly. "Besides, you came here to talk about you, not me. Just make it work, Ben. Make it work and let yourself be happy for once." Then she narrowed her eyes. "Have you convinced Phil that Dad has nothing to do with his suspicions about Sharon?"

"I dunno… yeah?" Ben shrugged. "I think he's coming round to what I'm saying."

"He better, Ben, or I'll be having a word with Callum that you won't like very much."

"I thought you just said you wanted me to be happy."

"I do." Katy agreed. "But I want my dad to be safe more."

* * *

A couple of days later it had fallen to Katy to do the school run for apparently every primary school age child in the family. She checked her phone as she rushed towards the school, swearing softly as she realised she was probably not going to be on time. Just ahead, she spotted a familiar figure and smiled.

"Ahhh, you're on the school run today, then?" She asked, falling into step beside Mick as they neared the gates. "You in Linda's bad books or what?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, she's just caught up with the Grotto and that. You bringing your lot over?"

"Yeah, we'll be there at some point. I heard you're doing a play and all?"

"You up for a little part?"

Katy snorted. "No chance. The kids probably will though, if you want them."

"The more the merrier." Mick agreed at once. "Should you be out 'ere in this cold with just being out of hospital and that?"

"I'm fine, Mick, seriously." She replied with a sigh. "Seriously, I wish people would just stop asking me. I just wanna get back to normal."

"Point taken." He said, holding up his hands and ushering her through the school gates first. "You won't hear another word from me about it."

"Thanks." Katy smiled, genuinely grateful. "So, I heard Ollie got Learner of the Term. Rubes said he looked chuffed in assembly."

Mick immediately beamed at her, puffing his chest out with pride. "Me and L thought he weren't never gonna get Learner of the Week, but Learner of the Term…"

"He deserves it; Matthew never stops talking about him and what he's done."

"We should get them together for a little play date. With Sophie and Jessica, too, obviously."

"They'd like that." Katy told him with a smile as they came to a halt in the playground, looking towards the door that the reception children would be let out of.

As the bell rang, Mick stepped away to talk to a group of the mums that Katy knew Linda had been doing her best to get involved with. She rolled her eyes, turning back to the door and grinning and waving as the twins and Matthew rushed towards her. Shaking her head at them, she accepted the bags while they went to collect Lexi and the others from the juniors.

"So... you're Lexi's mum?"

Katy fixed the man who'd spoken with a dangerous look. "Who wants to know?"

He grinned, apparently unfazed by her attitude. "I'm Alex, Charlie in year 2's dad. He talks about Lexi a lot."

"Right... I'm not her mum; she's my cousin's kid. They're mine." She pointed vaguely in the direction of Ruby and the twins, who were chasing around the playground with Amy, Ricky, Matthew and Ollie. "Not all of them, obviously, just the three younger girls."

"Oh, right."

"Yeah."

Before anything else could be said, she heard her name being called and Mick was striding towards her. Slightly bemused by the expression on his face, Katy turned her back on the other man and focused completely on her friend. His eyes darted towards Alex for a moment, before he folded his arms and nodded back towards the women he'd been speaking to a moment before.

"Invited them to the play… only turned it down, didn't they? Said their problem is with L, not the boy."

Katy sighed, shaking her head and throwing a scowl over his shoulder in their direction. "Take no notice, Mick. Right stuck up cow, that one. She's had a problem with me and the kids since day one… like she's so perfect."

"Are you talking about Shelly and her crowd?" Alex asked.

As one, Katy and Mick turned to look at him with near-identical quizzical expressions on their faces. As Mick shot the young woman a quick, questioning look, Katy shrugged.

"This is Alex. His kid is in year 2." She explained in a bored tone.

"Oh, right... well, nice to meet ya. My boy Ollie is in year 2." Mick reached out and shook his hand. "Yeah. She had a bit of a barney with the wife and me mother. Bit of a misunderstanding, you know how it is."

"I do." Alex agreed with a warm smile. "I've gotta admit I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her."

"You know her, then?"

"She tried to add me to her little group when Charlie started, but I didn't have time for it all. I'm a single dad and was more interested in spending time with my son than hanging out with that lot."

"Man after my own heart." Mick nodded approvingly at him. "Tell you what, we're putting on a little Christmas play for the kiddies at my gaff, the Queen Vic in Albert Square. You should bring your boy down. I'm sure he'd love it."

Katy raised an eyebrow at Mick as he shot her a sly look, before turning to shake her head at Alex. "Don't feel like you have to go out of your way, though. It's mostly a few families at the pub, so might not be your thing."

"You're going?" Alex asked her, almost hopefully.

"Like I said, it's a family thing." She replied, shooting him a hard look. "All the Mitchells will be there."

Mick chuckled. "Don't let that put you off. You can't believe everything you hear about them."

"Mick, you know as well as I do that the rumours are only half the story." Katy told him bluntly. Then she turned and called to the children. "We better get going. See ya."

"The play's on Thursday if you fancy it." Mick called to Alex, grinning at the scowl the blonde sent him. "Five o'clock."


	56. Chapter 56

"Is Grandad Jack coming to watch the play?" Ruby asked, appearing in front of her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother suddenly.

"Of course." Katy assured her quickly with a smile. "He promised he would, didn't he?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose for a moment, looking over their heads and then shrugged and skipped away to join the other children with Mitch and Mick. When she'd gone, Katy turned in her seat to look at her mother seriously. Ronnie looked just as concerned as the younger blonde; neither of them had been able to get hold of Jack for hours.

"Where the hell could he have got to?" Katy hissed, glancing at the screen of her phone again and, yet again, seeing the there were no messages from her father. "He's gonna miss it if he don't hurry up!"

"I don't know!" Ronnie replied, just as irritably. "Have you asked Denise if she's seen him?"

Ignoring the slightly bitter edge to her mother's tone, Katy hastily typed another message to her father, pretending not to notice the previous unread and unanswered messages. Scowling at the thread, she locked the device and slouched down in her chair slightly.

They watched as Mick finished hanging the backdrop carefully, unable to stop themselves laughing as, as soon as one end was secured the other flopped down and landed on Shirley's head. The older blonde turned and sent them a thoroughly irritated scowl, shooting them the middle finger for good measure, before stomping back behind the bar.

Turning to see whether it was worth going and ordering the next round, Katy's eyes fell on a young man entering the pub with a little boy. Her stomach dropped at the sight and, unable to stop herself, her eyes flicked towards Mick to see if he had noticed the new arrival. Apparently he had as he shot her a broad, smug grin.

"Oh my god… what's he doing here?"

"Who?"

"That guy… there… with the little boy." Katy muttered, resolutely not turning back and letting him catch sight of her.

"Who is it?"

"No one."

"So why are you so bothered?" Ronnie asked, smirking slightly.

"I'm not bothered. I'm just… I don't know why he's here." She frowned at her mother. "He's just one of the dads from the school. Mick invited him to come and watch the play but I didn't think he'd actually turn up."

"Why is it such a big deal?" Glenda asked, leaning around her daughter to fix the youngest of the blondes with a curious look. "Unless… is there something you're not telling us, Katherine?"

"No." Katy replied at once. "Don't be stupid. I just… I think Mick was attempting to match make or summit, but I weren't playing ball. I ain't interested."

"Well there's no harm in him being here then, is there?" Ronnie asked with yet another smirk.

She exchanged a look with Glenda as Katy scowled even more. In an attempt to distract herself the young woman checked her messages again, even though she knew it was completely pointless. There was still radio silence from Jack, but Tina had sent her a 'back stage' photo of Jessica and Sophie, dressed as pandas and pulling faces at the camera. Chuckling, Katy held her phone out to show Ronnie and Glenda, before typing out a quick reply.

There was no time to say anything else, before the 'cast' trooped out onto the makeshift stage and stood with their backs to the audience. Katy grinned and waved at her daughters and Matthew as they took their places, laughing softly as Ruby huffed and rolled her eyes before turning round. Her grin broadened even more as she caught sight of Tina dressed as the third polar bear on stage with all the children.

"Hello everyone," Bailey started, looking out at the crowd confidently, "there are a couple of things about tonight's performance. Everyone here has different needs, so we won't be dimming the lights, there'll be no loud noises and, if anyone needs some space to move around or make a bit of noise, that's fine with us."

The audience chuckled and settled back in their seats as they started their performance. Katy smiled at the sight of the children dressed as animals standing in front of them. Leaning forward, she nudged Lola gently in the back, telling her how cute Lexi looked with her flashing red nose. Her cousin rolled her eyes and informed her of the fuss the little girl had made when it had first been suggested.

The play passed with no hiccups and Katy had to admit that she was impressed. Considering Bailey had written it, they had been expecting something a little less polished, but none of the Mitchell women could say that they hadn't thoroughly enjoyed it.

When the girls and Matthew appeared afterwards, they congratulated them, telling them they'd been fantastic and promising them whatever they wanted for tea. Matthew and the twins were immediately distracted, arguing over whether to get chips or pizza, but Ruby was looking around them for someone who wasn't there.

"Grandad Jack didn't come, did he?" She asked, not looking her mother in the eyes as she asked the question.

"No, babe…" Katy admitted. "But Amy has got that bug, so I guess he's at home looking after her."

"We'll call in and see them on the way home if you want?" Ronnie offered with a warm smile.

Ruby considered for a moment, before nodding and heading away to talk to Janet and Honey. Katy watched her for a moment, before sighing and gathering up her things. Ronnie and Glenda were doing their best to get the children back into the coats, making Katy smile fondly and shake her head before shrugging on her own coat.

"That was brilliant, wasn't it?"

Jumping at the unexpected question, Katy turned and stared at the man who had spoken. "Uhhh… Adam, right? Yeah, it was great."

"Alex."

"Right, sorry." She apologised with a shrug. "It's good of you to come… I'm sure Mick appreciated it."

"Nah, we enjoyed it, didn't we buddy?" Alex glanced down at his son who nodded vehemently.

Katy smiled, before glancing over her shoulder. "I'd better get going… kids to feed. See ya."

Without waiting for him to say anything else, she weaved her way through the chairs and rejoined her family. Ignoring the questioning looks that were sent her way, she led them out of the Vic and in the direction of Jack's house. Ronnie and Glenda were obviously keen to ask questions, but the expression on Katy's face left them in no doubt that she wasn't in the mood to answer them.

"Hi, Amy. How are you feeling?" Ronnie asked, beaming at her niece as she answered the door.

"I'm OK." The eleven-year-old replied with a shrug. "I think I can go back to school tomorrow."

"That's good news." Glenda said, reaching out and cupping her cheek. "You're looking much better than you were earlier."

"Is Dad in?" Katy asked, keen to get out of the cold.

"Yeah… he had an accident. Ben said he slipped on a banana skin."

Filing into the house, ushering the children in front of them, the three women exchanged a look. After telling them that Jack was in the kitchen, Amy took the others into the living room to watch a film while the adults talked.

"What's all this about a banana skin?" Ronnie asked as they caught sight of Jack.

"Jesus, you look terrible!" His daughter told him bluntly, scrutinising his face carefully. "What really happened?"

"Looked the wrong way at some geezer who'd had a few too many." He told her.

"Yeah, right." Glenda rolled her eyes. "Come on, Jack."

"It was definitely a drunk who did this…" Jack scowled between them. "It was just a drunk who happens to have the same name as you."

"Phil?" Ronnie gaped. "Phil did this?"

"I'm gonna kill Ben…" Katy growled.

"Ben?" Her mother whirled round and stared at her. "What's Ben got to do with this?"

"Everything."

As she turned, intending to storm out of the house in search of her cousin, Jack grabbed her by the arm. "Leave it, Katy. I don't want you getting involved in this. It's sorted."

"Sorted? Nah… This ain't _sorted_, Dad." She shook her head. "I told him… I fucking _told_ him."

"You knew about this?" Jack's hand dropped from her arm and he took a step backwards. "You knew Phil was gonna come after me?"

"No! Of course I didn't know he was gonna do this. I just… Ben told me that Phil… Ben _said_ he was gonna stop it."

"And you trusted him?"

"Of course I didn't trust him, I just…"

"We thought we'd be able to head Phil off before he did anything." Ronnie interjected quickly.

"_You_ knew as well?" Jack turned to scowl at her. Then he threw up his hands and turned away. "Of course you did. Your fucking family!"

"Mum, Gran… can you watch the kids?" Katy asked, already heading for the door. "There's a conversation I need to have."

Too quickly for any of them to stop her, Katy yanked open the front door and headed down the steps and onto the Square. She pulled her jacket more tightly around her as she headed towards Turpin Road and the flat over the undertakers where Callum lived. Leaning on the buzzer, she waited impatiently for someone to let her in.

The friendly smile that Callum sent her was almost enough to make Katy reconsider what she was about to do. Almost enough. Pushing her hands more firmly into her pockets, she looked around the small flat, not really expecting to see anyone else.

"Ben around?"

"No, sorry, he's not back yet." Callum apologised with a shrug. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Not unless you had anything to do with Phil beating my dad to a pulp, no."

The young man's mouth dropped open at her words, his eyes wide and searching. "He… what?"

"Yeah. Best-case scenario, your boyfriend stood back and watched as his old man did mine over. Worst-case scenario, he helped him." Katy snapped angrily. "When Ben gets back, tell him I wanna see him straight away."

"Right…"

As she reached the door, Katy turned and realised that he was apparently frozen to the spot. "And Callum? Watch your back, yeah? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Everything might be rainbows and unicorns now, but when shit hits the fan it ain't gonna be Ben that gets hurt."


	57. Chapter 57

Katy was incredibly reluctant to go over to the Beales' for the party Kathy had organised to welcome Louise, Keanu and baby Peggy back to the Square on Christmas Eve. She apparently had very little choice in the matter, as the children were desperate to meet their new cousin and Ronnie decided that she should make the effort to show her face. Things were tense after Jack's attack, but he had told his daughter that he didn't want her getting involved.

At just gone four, an hour after they'd been told to get to the house, they finally arrived. The children immediately disappeared off with William, Janet and Lexi, leaving the adults to accept drinks and settle themselves around the room. Taking a seat next to Lola, Katy was directly opposite Phil and Ben, sending them a hard glare, which they returned equally emotionlessly.

"It is nice having all the family together." Kathy announced, beaming around proudly at the gathered Mitchells. "Is Callum coming, Ben?"

"He's working at the parlour." Her son said, shooting his cousin a dark look.

Katy smirked into her drink. "That's a shame."

"Really? What, on Christmas Eve?" Kathy complained.

"It's that time of year, init? Drink driving… choking incidents… family strife."

"Oh, cheery."

Sharon smiled up at her, holding out a large gift bag. "Here you go… a few little things; mainly for Lexi."

"Oooh!" The little girl in question looked up at the mention of her name. "Presents!"

"Yeah!"

"Here you are, Jay." Kathy held the bag straight out in his direction. "You can hand them out, Santa."

"I was just about to take this off." He complained, pulling at the hat and wig combo he was sporting. "I'm boiling in this thing!"

Everyone except Phil, Ben and Katy laughed. They sat in silence, not finding anything remotely funny about the situation they were in. Katy was sending daggers across the room at her step-uncle and cousin, while they glared back at her. No one else seemed to have noticed the tension or, if they had, they knew better than to bring it up.

Sharon chuckled at Jay's words. "That reminds me of this pack of stags I saw in Santa suits when it was scorching outside… all piling out of a lift in a hotel."

"When?"

"Oh, gosh, years ago… Florida. He just reminded me when he said it was hot."

Katy caught the expression on Phil's face as he listened to his wife's anecdote, barely registering some sort of commotion as Ian accidentally kissed Sharon on the lips under the mistletoe. She continued to watch him as Kathy announced that her elder son had had a crush on Sharon when they were teenagers.

"Don't be ridiculous." Ben told his father, evidently reading the same thing in his expression as his cousin did.

The conversation continued around them until Lisa, Louise and Keanu arrived with baby Peggy and everyone immediately swarmed around them. Katy could see that something was bothering the younger blonde and she guessed that it was more than being a new mum. Watching her for a moment, spotting the way she flinched away from her boyfriend and the expression she was regarding him with when his attention was on someone else, Katy tilted her head thoughtfully to one side and watched more closely.

"We better get going." The young blonde announced suddenly, standing up and smiling at Kathy. "Thanks for having us, Kath."

"So soon? Surely you can stay for a little while longer?"

"Nah, we've gotta get on. Got a few things to do before tomorrow. Come on, kids! See you guys."

"I'd better go, too." Ronnie agreed. "I'll never hear the end of it otherwise."

They said their goodbyes and left the house, promising to see everyone else the next day. Neither Ronnie nor Katy said anything until they were all safely back in their flat and the children were occupied by their toys and a film on the television. Then Katy nodded her head towards the kitchen, signalling that she wanted to speak to the older woman in private.

"I think there's something going on with Louise and Keanu." She announced, leaning against the counters and fixing her mother with a serious look. "There's something very not right there."

"They've just had a baby," Ronnie reminded her, "of course they won't be acting like they usually do. Their priorities have changed."

"No, it's more than that." Her daughter argued, shaking her head. "The way she was looking at him…"

There was a long pause as Ronnie regarded her daughter carefully, trying to work out what she was thinking. "Oh my god… you think Sharon had an affair with _Keanu_, don't you?"

"Is that so ridiculous?"

"Yes!" Ronnie laughed. "Sharon's older than I am."

"And?"

"You really think Keanu would have an affair with Sharon when he's with Louise? Katy… I think you're reading too much into Lou being a little bit spaced out. She's just had a baby, for god's sake. Remember what you were like?"

"Mmmm… if you say so."

The older blonde let out a deep sigh. "Look… it's Christmas Eve. The kids will be going to be in a couple of hours and then it'll be Christmas Day. Let's not let Phil's issues mess up our Christmas, eh?"

"No. No, you're right." Her daughter smiled, taking a breath and then turning to the kettle. She really didn't want their first Christmas back together to be spoilt by her family's drama. "Right… you go and make sure they're not running wild and I'll make a cuppa."

Ronnie sent her a searching look, before nodding and heading back through to the living room. Katy chewed the inside of her lip as she waited for the kettle to boil, thinking over what she'd seen at Kathy's. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She was sure that Keanu and Sharon had been suspiciously close at the beginning of the year and she honestly couldn't think of another explanation for the look that Louise had been giving Keanu. She wondered what Phil would do if he figured it out as well, guessing that what he'd done to Jack would look like child's play next to the revenge he'd take on his daughter's fiancé.

The rest of the evening passed without further mention of any of anyone else in the family and, as soon as the children were in bed, Katy had sent Ronnie and Glenda out for a few drinks over at the Vic so that she could have a bit of peace and quiet to finish wrapping presents and getting ready for the next day. She was just in the middle of pushing the children's filled stockings into the cupboard, ready to put on the ends of their beds later on, when her mobile started ringing.

"Hey, darlin'."

Katy knew from the tone of her father's voice that he was about to say something she wouldn't really like. "What's happened?"

"Nothing's happened… there's just a slight change of plan for tomorrow."

"Right…?"

"Me and the kids are going over to Patrick's with Denise. She wants a bit of moral support with Sheree."

"Seriously, Dad? You're cancelling on Christmas Eve? The kids are in bed… what am I supposed to do now?"

"You're welcome to join us." He told her hastily.

"And Mum, Rox and Gran?" When there was a slight hesitation, she sighed. "Didn't think so. Thanks, Dad."

"I can bring over the food that we were gonna have for ya. I really am sorry, Katy."

"Yeah, well… at least we won't go hungry, I suppose." She muttered. For a moment she had thought about suggesting she phoned Phil and asked to go over to theirs for lunch, but decided that might be pushing things a bit far after what had happened. "We'll still see you at some point, though, yeah? Ruby'll be devastated otherwise… especially after the play."

"Of course I'll see you. I wanna give the kids their presents myself. I know Amy and Ricky have spent their pocket money buying you lot some presents, too."

Letting out a long sigh, Katy leant back against the sofa cushions. "I suppose you haven't told Roxy she's not having lunch with Amy?"

"I thought it might be better if it came from you."

"Of course you did."

"I am sorry, darlin'."

"I know. You gotta keep Denise happy, I get it."

"I'll call you tomorrow. Love ya."

"Yeah, you too." Katy said softly.

Ten minutes later the doorbell ringing signalled Jack's arrival with the promised food. He apologised again, before heading back across the Square. Katy watched from the window as the door of his house open and closed again, before doing her best to stuff everything into the 'fridge. Looking round, she chewed her lip and wondered how on earth they were all going to fit in her tiny kitchen, let alone manage to cook everything.

She was still pondering the problem when Ronnie arrived back with Glenda and Roxy. Listening to the change of plans for the next day, the three older women immediately started criticising Jack's timing, leading Katy to jump in and defend his reasons. Ronnie arched an eyebrow at her daughter, but shot her sister a look to stop her continuing to complain.

"Why don't we take everything over to the R&R?" Glenda suggested suddenly. "We can use the kitchen and there'll be more than enough space for all of us."

"And there'll be enough booze there to make the food bearable." Roxy joked.

"Thanks, Aunty Rox." Katy rolled her eyes. "But that sounds like a plan."

"Who's going to get up early to put the turkey in?"

"We'll just eat later." Ronnie suggested with a shrug. "Why don't we take the food and some of the presents over there now? There'll be less to do in the morning then and we can just enjoy it."

Agreeing, Glenda and her daughters carried what they could over to the bar. Katy waited for them to return, before thanking them and handing out glasses of wine. She settled on the sofa between her mother and her aunt, catching her grandmother's eye and smiling happily. She couldn't believe how lucky she felt in that moment.


	58. Chapter 58

"It's Christmas!"

Katy jolted awake far earlier than she was happy about. The beaming smiles on her daughters and brother's faces were enough to chase away her immediate bad mood at the rude awakening. The four of them were only just patient enough to wait until Glenda and Roxy came up from the bottom flat to join them, before ripping into their stockings with delight.

Ronnie handed Katy a mug of tea, before folding her legs underneath her on the sofa. Her daughter immediately leant into her side, resting her head on the older woman's shoulder as they watched the children chattering and laughing happily in front of them. Katy laughed as Roxy slid onto the rug to help Sophie open one of her presents, her laughter increasing as her daughter pushed her unicorn sunglasses onto her great-aunt's face.

"They suit you." Glenda teased her younger daughter. "Santa should have brought you some, too."

"Did Santa bring you any presents, Aunty Rox?" Sophie asked, looking at her curiously.

"No, because she's a bad girl." Ronnie replied at once, before her sister could even open her mouth. "He brought something for your mummy, though."

Katy turned her head quickly, frowning at her mother. "Did he?"

"Of course he did, sweetie. There was no way he'd forget about you."

Ronnie reached down the back of the sofa and brought out a stocking. Katy gaped, realising that it was the one they'd bought for her when she'd first arrived in Walford. Ronnie smiled warmly, nudging her with her shoulder and encouraging her to start opening her presents.

"Thanks, Mum." Katy whispered when she'd reached the bottom of the stocking, setting a pair of silver hoops on her present pile.

"Don't be silly. I owe you so much… one Christmas stocking isn't nearly enough to make up for what you went through."

Noticing Ruby watching them, Ronnie cleared her throat and suggested that they all went to get dressed before they headed over to the R&R for more presents and lunch. The children rushed away happily, leaving the adults to clear up the sea of wrapping paper before going to get dressed themselves.

"Best Christmas ever!" Jessica shouted, running into the bar and spotting all the presents under one of the trees in the corner of the room.

Laughing, Roxy headed over with the children and started sorting the presents into piles while Ronnie and Glenda disappeared into the kitchen. Katy pulled a bottle of Prosecco and four bottles of coke out of one of the 'fridges, taking them over to the tables the women had pushed together specially.

"That's mine!" Roxy shouted, snatching a present away from her great-niece, before turning to Katy imploringly. "Tell Jess not to open my presents."

Katy snorted with amusement. "She's five. How old are you?"

"41 and that's not the point."

"Is Roxy whining again?" Ronnie asked, appearing from the kitchen and wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "It's OK, Rox, I've made sure that you've got as many presents as last year so you don't need to worry."

"She's genuinely worse than the kids." Katy said, shaking her head and handing her mother one of the glasses. "Gran OK in there?"

"Yeah… Jack must have prepped all the veg yesterday, so we just need to wait until it's time to put it on."

"As long as we make it to the Vic for the traditional Christmas drink."

"I thought Phil and Ben would be the last people you'd want to see today?"

"I figure that after my conversation with Callum, me and Ben are about equal and Phil… that's down to Dad to deal with, init? I can't be fighting his battles all the time."

Ronnie arched an eyebrow at her. "That's a new one."

"Very funny." Her daughter said sarcastically. "Ain't that what you're always telling me? Let other people sort their own problems?"

"I just didn't expect to hear you saying something that I've told you so many times."

Katy nudged her gently. "Let's go and open some presents, shall we? I can't wait to see Gran's reaction to the Women's Weekly subscription I got her."

Ronnie grinned. "You didn't?"

"No, I didn't, but it would have been hilarious if I had."

Lunch passed with no hiccups. Jack, Amy and Ricky had joined them at the R&R once they'd finished eating and they'd opened the rest of their presents together. For once, there were no cross words, no arguments and no sly digs at each other about things that had happened in the past. They simply enjoyed spending the afternoon together in each other's company.

When everything was cleared away, the family made their way across the Square together. Briefly, they ducked into Dot's to wish her a Merry Christmas and give her their presents, before Jack, Amy and Ricky went to meet Denise at home and the others headed into the Vic for a drink with the rest of the Mitchells.

"Kids, go and play with your cousins in the grotto, OK?" Katy ordered as soon as they entered the pub. "We'll be round there, right?"

They joined the others at a large table in the corner, smiling around and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Ronnie and Glenda immediately started up a conversation with Honey, while Roxy and Katy started joining in with Lola teasing Jay.

It was only when they heard a familiar voice that they realised that their relaxed, drama-free Christmas was about to take a turn. Katy watched Sharon carefully, tilting her head as she tried to work out what had happened.

"Denny…"

"Ah, Sharon. You feeling better then?" Lola asked innocently.

"You might wanna go." Phil told his wife bluntly.

"You don't own this pub any more." She replied.

"Sharon…"

Phil stared at her expressionlessly. "Unless you want everyone knowing your secret…"

"Come on, Denny, get your coat." Sharon ordered.

Jay glanced around in confusion, his expression mirrored by almost everyone else around the table. "Has something happened?"

"D'you want a seat, Sharon?" Honey asked kindly.

Ben shook his head. "She ain't staying."

"They're gonna find out soon enough Phil." Sharon said after a moment or two. She stared at her husband determinedly, before raising her voice so that everyone could hear. "I cheated on him."

"Sharon… this isn't the place."

"I'm having Keanu Taylor's baby."

Katy felt a sense of misplaced triumph at the statement and glanced at her mother. Ronnie raised her eyebrows and shrugged almost imperceptibly, acknowledging that Katy's hunch had been right after all. Her daughter wished she'd put money on the outcome.

"Why's she saying this?" Dennis was asking Phil, turning to look at him in complete bewilderment.

"Because it's true, Denny. I'm not proud of it, but it's true."

"Have you finished?"

"So I made a mistake." Sharon turned, almost beseechingly to the rest of the pub. "You telling me no one else has? Am I the only one who's ever cheated? Well, come on! Someone must want to throw the first stone."

As everyone in the Vic went silent, Katy followed their collective gaze until it settled on Louise. She was standing, Peggy strapped to her chest, with tears in her eyes as she regarded her stepmother. Sharon took a couple of shaky steps towards her, almost breathing her name pleadingly.

"I know." The teenager told her, voice trembling with emotion. "He told me… everything."

Then Louise walked past her to join the rest of her family around the table. Katy's eyes followed her cousin's progress towards them, almost missing Billy's whispered question about Keanu's whereabouts and his ex-wife's reply. She reached out and squeezed Louise's hand tightly as the younger woman dropped carefully onto the chair beside her.

"That it?" Phil demanded irritably. "You finished? It's Christmas. I'm in my local having a drink with my family. You," he chuckled, "you should go."

"I ain't going 'til I get what I came for." Sharon snapped back. "Come on, Denny, we're leaving."

The boy glanced sideways at his stepfather. "I ain't going nowhere."

"Denny…"

"You're a liar and a cheat." He told his mother angrily. "I'm staying with Phil."

"You can't do this."

Ben smirked. "He just did."

"Stay out of it!"

"Ain't you got a stable to find?" Phil asked.

Every single one of the Mitchells gathered around the table stared at Sharon until she turned on her heels and stormed out of the Vic. Once she'd gone, a slightly uncomfortable silence fell over them, until Jay broke it by clearing his throat and asking whether everyone wanted another drink.

As he headed away to buy the round, Katy squeezed the teenager's hand again. "Lou… anything you need, anything at all… you can ask me, OK?"

"Thanks, Katy, but–"

"Lou." The older woman shook her head. "I mean it. Anything. We're family, ain't we? Mitchells stick together."

"You and Ben got over your little argument, then?"

They glanced at each other for a moment, before Ben smiled. "Yeah, we're good."

"He's right." Katy agreed, almost reluctantly. "We're good."

"I think we make a better team than we do enemies."

"I wouldn't go that far." The blonde told him, smirking and arching an eyebrow. "But we're good."

He laughed and excused himself, heading away quickly. Katy watched him thoughtfully for a moment, before letting herself be drawn back into conversation with Honey and Louise about motherhood. She joined in until Ben returned, motioning that he would get the next round in and heading straight for the bar.

"Right," Phil held up his fresh drink, signalling that he was making a toast, "well, she ain't gonna spoil our Christmas. We're all still here, no casualties… to the Mitchells."

"The Mitchells." They chorused, clinking their glasses together in the centre of the table.


	59. Chapter 59

"Aunty Roxy said she'd take me and Amy to the sales." Ruby announced on Friday afternoon.

Katy arched an eyebrow at her eldest daughter, leaning back in her chair and surveying her carefully. "Yeah? And is Aunty Roxy gonna be shelling out and all?"

"I'll take my Christmas money."

Sighing, Katy reached for her purse, pulling out a twenty and holding it out in her daughter's direction. "Don't waste it, babe, yeah?"

"You're the best!"

Chuckling as the little girl raced away to tell her great-aunt that she was allowed to go, Katy returned her attention to her phone. Tina had asked whether she could swap her shift that night, citing a family emergency and apologising profusely for messing Katy around. Knowing that it must be important for her friend to ask, the blonde had agreed without questioning her further, which meant that she would have to take on the shift herself.

'**Sharon's staying at ours, btw. Shirl's not best pleased, but Linda's not listening to her as usual. Xxx'**

Guessing that Phil wouldn't be happy either when he found out, Katy briefly considered passing on the information to him or Ben, before changing her mind about it. They'd find out soon enough without her interference.

Grabbing her coat, she told Glenda and Kathy that she was popping out for a bit and made her way over to the Vic. She decided that she needed a drink and, hopefully, to hear a bit more about what had happened the day before. As far as she could tell, no one seemed to know where Keanu had disappeared to after the truth had come out. It wouldn't surprise her at all if something serious had happened to the young man; she severely doubted whether Phil would let him get away if he could do something about it.

"Alright, Mick?" She asked, leaning against the bar. "Have a good Christmas? Didn't see much of you lot in the end."

He smiled tightly at her. "Not bad. More drama with your lot, I hear?"

Katy snorted, shaking her head. "When isn't there?"

"Usual?"

"Thanks."

As she waited for him to return with her drink, Katy wondered whether she should ask about the family situation Tina had mentioned. Deciding against it, she handed over some change and moved away to join Lola and Jay at a booth.

"R&R open tonight?" Jay asked, taking a sip from his lager.

"Yeah, you thinking of coming in? I'm covering Tina." Katy told him with a shrug.

"I'm sure we can find a babysitter, right, Lo?"

The younger blonde nodded. "Free drinks?"

"Bloody hell, Lo. I'm running a business, not a charity!" Her cousin teased, laughing. "But yeah, I'm sure I can do a free drink or two for my favourite chav."

"Oi!" Lola laughed, shoving her gently in the shoulder. "So… who was that fitty I saw you talking to at the play the kids did?"

Katy sighed. "I don't really know him. He's just one of the dads from the school that Mick invited to come and watch it. His son is mates with Lex, I think."

"Does he know you run the R&R?"

Pulling a face, she shook her head. "Why would he?"

"Because I _bet_ you weren't selling yourself to him, were you?" Lola pressed, causing her cousin to send her a disgusted look. "You're hot, Katy, even if you are pumped full of chemicals and trying to pretend you're some old woman who's forgotten what sex is."

"Lola!" It was Jay's turn to look completely disgusted. "She's practically my sister. I don't wanna think about… _that_."

"Shut up, Jay."

"Seriously, though, Lo… I ain't interested." Katy told her with a shrug.

"Well you should be."

"Leave it, Lo, yeah?" Jay advised softly, seeing the expression on the older woman's face.

Apparently deciding to take his advice, Lola let the conversation change and went with it. They chatted for a while, before Katy decided she'd better get going. They tried to persuade her to stay, but she wanted to see the children for a little while before she went to work.

On her way across the Square, she bumped into her father, smiling and asking him about the rest of his Christmas. He chatted for a little while, before attempting to subtly ask her whether she'd heard anything about the Sharon and Keanu debacle. Shaking her head, telling him that she wasn't the slightest bit interested, he nodded slowly. With a sigh, Katy advised him not to get involved if he could help it, before saying goodbye and heading home.

* * *

"I thought you had some family emergency going on?" Katy asked, grinning as Tina opened her office door and almost threw herself inside.

"I can go home if you want?"

"No!" Katy laughed, standing up and pulling her into a tight hug. "I didn't say that."

"I've had a hell of a day." Tina huffed, dropping onto the sofa and pulling her friend down with her. "Hit the sales with Shirl and Mick, which was an absolute nightmare. Shirl wanted to fight anyone who looked at her and Mick couldn't find a single thing he liked. Then when we got home, Shirl and Sharon got into a shouting match that lasted _hours_. In fact, it's still going on now. Me, Mick, Linda, Lee and Lady Di ended up watching a documentary about penguins in Mick and Linda's bed! I have no idea how Lee got Ollie to sleep, but–"

"Lee? Lee's here?"

Tina blinked. "I'm not sure if I was supposed to say."

"I won't say anything." Katy promised quickly. "Is he gonna go and see Whit?"

"I dunno, K… maybe? I know he's really sorry about what happened between them."

"Whit just can't catch a break, can she?"

Tina was prevented from answering by the door flying open, rebounding off the wall and revealing Shirley standing, framed by the doorway. Unable to help themselves, both Katy and Tina burst out laughing at her dramatic entrance, before the younger woman hauled herself to her feet and directed Shirley to sit on the sofa. Katy disappeared for a moment, returning with a bottle of vodka and three glasses.

"If I'd stayed over there any longer I'd have flamin' murdered her!" Shirley muttered, downing her drink as soon as it was handed to her, holding the glass out to Katy for a refill. They didn't need to ask who she was talking about.

"I had money on Sharon not walking out of there." Tina joked, nudging her sister in the ribs.

"Seriously, Shirl, I knew this would happen." Katy said with a shrug, dropping down on her other side.

"What? You knew Keanu was the father?"

"No!" The youngest of the trio shook her head vehemently. "Well… I sort of worked it out on Christmas Eve. I just meant I knew something like this would happen and they'd break up sooner rather than later." Katy grinned at her. "Maybe I should dust off my old 'Team Shirley' t-shirt."

"Piss off, will ya?" Shirley rolled her eyes at the younger blonde.

Laughing, Katy filled up their glasses again and leant back against the cushions. She wrinkled her nose, thinking about something and then grinned. "Hey, Shirl… d'you still have that Mothers' Day card I gave you?"

"You didn't?" Tina laughed. "Oh! That is so cute!"

Shirley frowned between them. "That was years ago… you were just a kid. Why would I still have it?"

"You liked it at the time." The younger blonde reminded her with a grin.

"I didn't say I didn't." Shirley pointed out with a dismissive shrug. "Just said it was ages ago."

"I bet Ronnie wasn't too thrilled about it." Tina said, looking between the blondes curiously.

Katy shrugged. "It was when we thought we were sisters." Seeing the confusion on her friend's face, she chuckled. "Don't worry about it. It was a very long time ago. Almost another lifetime, really."

"Moving swiftly away from memory lane," Shirley exchanged a look with her sister over Katy's head, "any plans for New Years?"

"I'll probably be working, won't I?" Katy replied with a shrug. "Mum and Rox were going to try and bulldoze Ruby into throwing an '80s themed party and I guess we should try and do some kind of promotion to get people in here."

Shirley considered her for a moment. "So… you'll be here, Ronnie and Roxy will be over the club and Glenda will be–" She chuckled. "Nah, Glenda won't be home with the kids."

"And…?"

"You're all going to be in different places at midnight?"

"It's not the end of the world, is it?" Katy told her with another shrug. "At least I know they're alive this year."

"Why don't we do some kind of joint promotion with the club?" Tina suggested. "Sell tickets from here, hold the event over there."

"What? Shut R&R completely for the night?"

"Why not?" The brunette said. "If we're not open, there'll be more punters over at Ruby's because we won't be splitting the trade. I'm sure Ronnie would be happy to split the takings… that would mean you could spend the night with them _and_ earn."

"It's worth suggesting, I guess." Katy muttered thoughtfully.


	60. Chapter 60

With very little argument Tina's idea was agreed by everyone. Even Ruby seemed on board with combining Ruby's and R&R for one night so that everyone could celebrate together. She was even incredibly keen on Ronnie and Roxy's '80s theme idea.

On New Year's Eve, Katy had offered to go to James' grave with her mother, but Ronnie had told her that she and Jack were going together. Her daughter nodded in understanding and held out the small teddy that she'd bought and asked Ronnie to put it on the grave. Choking back a small sob, the older blonde had pulled her daughter into a tight hug and promised that she would.

"I can't believe it's been so long." Roxy murmured, wrapping an arm around her niece's shoulder as they watched Jack and Ronnie heading off to the tube station together. "Nine years…"

"A lot's happened in those nine years, too." Katy reminded her with a soft sigh.

"We do regret what we did, you know?" Her aunt said quietly. "We thought it was the best thing to do, but…"

Katy smiled. "I know. I was angry but… things got put into perspective and life's too short to punish everyone by holding that grudge. We just need to move on and put it behind us. We got through it and we'll be stronger than ever now."

Roxy looked at her for a long moment, before pressing a kiss to the side of her head and propelled her gently in the direction of the bar so that she could help with the decorating. They laughed as they worked, reminiscing about past New Year's Eve parties and gradually moving on to talking about Roxy's nights out in general. Katy snorted with laughter as she reminded her aunt about the time she and Christian had got drunk and serenaded Ronnie, much to the older Mitchell sister's irritation.

"This place looks great!"

Both women turned at the sound of Ronnie's voice, their laughing dying immediately. Smiling at them, the older woman placed her bag on the bar and moved to the optics. As she poured herself a double vodka, Roxy and Katy exchanged a quick, wary look, before moving to lean against the bar.

"You alright, Ron?"

"How was it?"

"It was fine… well, as fine as visiting your baby's grave can be." Ronnie told them lightly.

"Has… did something happen?" Roxy narrowed her eyes slightly. "Did you and Jack argue?"

"No? Why would you think that?"

Katy furrowed her eyebrows, understanding why her aunt had come to that conclusion. There was something strange about the way Ronnie was acting. It was almost as though she was trying too hard to be casual, fixing them both with a slightly amused gaze as they watched her closely.

"You just seem a little… strange."

"Oh, thank you very much, Roxanne." Ronnie laughed, draining her glass and turning to refill it. "What else needs doing? Is Ruby in the office?"

Katy shrugged. "Haven't seen her yet. She must have been here earlier, though, because all that was done before we got here." She motioned towards the neon 'New Year' signs behind them. "I think everything's pretty much sorted; 'fridges are stocked, we've made sure there's plenty of everything in reserve, the notice is up on R&R telling people to come over here…"

"It's party time!" Roxy concluded, stealing the glass out of her sister's hand and downing the liquid quickly. "All that's left to do is go and get changed."

"I dread to think what you're wearing." Ronnie told her, shooting a quick wink at her daughter. "Don't forget, I had to live through the actual '80s with you!"

"I was a _child_, Veronica. I hardly think you can blame me for any rubbish outfits I wore."

"But I can blame you for the ones you wear now."

"Oi!"

Katy shook her head fondly, chuckling at their bickering as they made their way towards the office. She pottered around the bar, tidying the last few things that were out of place as she waited for them to collect their things, before leaning against the wall and smirking as they reappeared.

"You alright, sweetie?" Ronnie asked gently as Roxy locked up.

"I'm absolutely fine." Katy assured her firmly. "Looking forward to spending New Year's Eve with you two again."

"Without a swimming pool in sight!"

"Roxy!" Ronnie glared at her indignantly. "Really?"

"What? Too soon?"

Katy grinned, nudging her aunt in the side. "Remind me never to go near water with either of you ever again. I mean, I don't even think I'll venture out with you if it's raining too heavily."

"You two are terrible." Ronnie mock scolded them, slipping her arms through theirs as they wandered down Bridge Street towards the Square. "Although, I am glad we're in a place where we can make totally inappropriate jokes about it."

Laughing, Katy shook her head and led the way into the house. She was incredibly grateful that Dot and Sonia had agreed to hold a New Year's Eve party at theirs for the younger members of the family, meaning that she didn't have to try and work out who she could ask to babysit the children. She knew that Glenda probably would have done so if she'd asked nicely enough, but she would have felt guilty if her grandmother couldn't go out and enjoy the night as well. Instead, the older woman had said that she had Kathy would probably head over to the party that Karen Taylor was throwing, before making their way to the club for midnight.

She had also tried to persuade Whitney to come to the club, but her friend was incredibly reluctant. The younger woman was still on edge after everything that had happened with Leo and didn't seem to agree with Katy's view that she needed to try and put it behind her. When the blonde had reminded her that if she just stayed at home and stopped living her life it meant he'd won, Whitney had just sighed and shrugged, before saying she'd think about it. Knowing that it was the best she was probably going to get, Katy had dropped the subject.

"Oh my god it's like falling back 30 years." Roxy exclaimed dramatically when Ronnie entered the living room, dressed and ready for the night.

Her sister rolled her eyes, fiddling with her gloves. "I thought you were supposed to be wearing a costume?"

"Ha ha." Roxy replied sarcastically. She motioned to herself with a theatrical flourish. "I love the '80s."

"Me too." Katy agreed, appearing in the doorway. "I really think tutus and leg warmers should be brought back as a fashion staple."

Laughing, her mother appraised her carefully for a moment, while Roxy let out a low whistle. "It's like looking at Ronnie in her heyday."

"Oi!" She complained, glaring at her sister. "I'm still very much _in_ my heyday, thanks."

"Whatever you say, Veronica." Roxy teased. She held out three glasses of vodka, waiting until the other two had taken theirs before holding hers up in a toast. "Right… to the Mitchell sisters and Katy… let's make 2020 the best year yet."

"To us!" Katy agreed with a grin. "Let's show them what the Mitchell women can do."

"To us." Ronnie agreed. "This is the year we're going to make our family stronger than ever."

They considered each other for a moment, before draining their glasses in one and placing them on the coffee table. A strange sort of tension seemed to descend over them as they moved around the flat, grabbing everything they needed and making final adjustments to their costumes.

As the event was being held in Ruby's, the R&R staff had been given the night off. Katy had sold some of them discount tickets to the event, hoping to encourage them to bring their friends along. She hadn't considered it earlier, but it was strange walking back into the club for a shift, not having done so for years. Ronnie and Roxy didn't seem to feel odd about it, though, slipping into their roles as soon as they walked through the doors.

"Dad?" Katy shook her head in slight confusion as she turned to serve the next punter and realised who was waiting at the bar. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to Karen's party?"

"D's over there, but I thought I'd come and support you lot over here." Jack told her with a shrug and a grin. "Max was going on about it so much that I thought it would shut him up."

Handing him a lager, shaking her head as he attempted to pay her, she grinned. "I'm glad you're here. It's nice to have you all around again."

"Your mum in the office?" Jack asked, glancing around. He spotted Roxy and Ruby serving further along the bar, but there was no sign of Ronnie.

"Yeah, she was on the phone, I think."

"I'll just pop in and say hi."

Watching him thoughtfully as he wandered away, Katy barely noticed the next customer trying to get her attention. Starting, she apologised quickly and moved away to make their drinks. Her father's behaviour seemed strange somehow, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

There was no time to think about it, however, as the orders kept coming in thick and fast. Katy grinned at Ruby as they passed each other, remarking that combining the two venues had been a brilliant idea. The brunette nodded in agreement, suggesting they thought of more joint events in the future.

"I thought you weren't coming?" Katy beamed at her best friend over the bar, glancing towards Lee curiously. "Lee… long time no see. How are you doing?"

"I'm good, thanks. Much better than when I left." He told her. "How are you?"

"Still alive." She smiled, handing them each a glass of champagne. "On the house."

"You gonna be behind the bar all night or can you come and dance?" Whitney asked, grinning at her.

Katy glanced along the bar for a moment before holding up a finger in their direction. "Gimme a minute, I'll go and see where Mum is. If I can find her, I'll make her take over for a while."

Heading towards the office, where she assumed her mother was still hiding away, Katy entered the code and walked in without bothering to knock on the door. She froze at the sight that greeted her, before turning and leaving quickly, not wanting her parents to realise that she'd caught them.

Outside, Katy just stood for a couple of moments, trying to recover from the shock of seeing her parents kissing. At least, she told herself, that was all they'd been doing. With a shudder, she returned behind the bar and told Whitney that she'd have to wait a little while because Ronnie was caught up with something important.


	61. Chapter 61

"Everything alright out here?" Ronnie appeared, slinging her arm around her daughter's shoulders a little while later.

"Fine. Everything alright in there?" Katy asked, arching an eyebrow.

Ronnie shot her a strange look. "Course?"

"Right… you OK if I go and hang out with Whit for a bit?"

"Of course." The older woman smiled fondly at her. "Go and enjoy yourself."

Shaking her head to herself as she rounded the bar, Katy made her way towards the dance floor where Whitney, Lee and Dotty were dancing. She allowed herself to be swept into a tipsy hug by her best friend, laughing and batting at her arms to get the brunette to release her.

They laughed and danced for a while, before Lee went to the bar to get more drinks. While he was gone, Katy spotted Tina in the crowd, heading in their direction and called out to her delightedly.

"T!" Katy pulled her into a tight hug as soon as the brunette was close enough. "I thought you were going to Karen's party with Shirl?"

"I did, but I missed my favourite blondie, so I had to come and see how the party was going over here."

"Your favourite blondie?"

Tina laughed and winked. "Don't tell Shirl."

Lee soon returned with the drinks, rolling his eyes as his great-aunt sent him back to the bar to get one for her. Katy laughed, taking a long drink of her vodka, spinning around and dancing with her friends. Ash and Iqra joined them after a couple of minutes and Katy felt a pang of jealousy as Tina immediately turned and started chatting with them. Noticing the petulant expression on her face, Whitney laughed and pulled the blonde towards her, twirling her round on the spot.

As the DJ cut the music and the New Year countdown began, Katy pushed her way through the crowd to the bar in search of her mother. At the precise moment everyone starting shouting and cheering for the start of the new decade, Katy felt someone tapping her on the shoulder and turned to find herself being hugged tightly by her mother.

"Happy New Year, angel." Ronnie murmured into her hair. "This year's going to be better, I promise."

Before Katy could answer, she was pulled away as Roxy almost leapt on her sister excitedly shouting about the New Year. Laughing, Katy pressed a kiss to the side of Roxy's head before heading back to the dance floor to join her friends.

* * *

The next afternoon, after a lazy morning of films and chocolate, Glenda and Roxy had taken the children over to Jack's to see Amy and Ricky. Katy had taken the opportunity for a shower in peace, deciding that she might actually have time to dry and straighten her hair properly for once. Ronnie said she had a bit of work to do, but would put the kettle on when she was ready.

Finding that, now she had the chance do things at a more leisurely pace, everything seemed to take far less time than usual, Katy headed into the living room to take her mother up on the offer of a cup of tea. She paused on the threshold, hearing Ronnie talking softly into her mobile, laughing happily, before saying, what was apparently a very reluctant, goodbye.

"So… who was that?" Katy asked.

Ronnie jumped, not having realised that her daughter was in the room. "Uhh? What?"

"On the phone. Who was it?"

"No one important. Just a business call."

"Not Dad, then?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Ronnie shook her head. "Why would it be Jack?"

"Oh, come on, Mum." Katy rolled her eyes at her attempts to sound innocent. "I saw you last night… in the office."

"Saw what?"

"Don't treat me like an idiot." The younger blonde demanded, frowning at her mother. "You know exactly what I mean."

Ronnie exhaled sharply. "Katy…"

"I'm not judging you or… threatening you or anything like that. You know I wouldn't do that." Katy told her softly. "I just want to know if it was a New Year's thing or a _thing_ thing."

"I… don't know." The older woman admitted. She sighed deeply and leant forwards, putting her head in her hands. "It's… the ball is in Jack's court now. He knows how I… but he loves Denise and it's all… it's all a mess, Katy. It's a mess because of me and I can't expect Jack to just go back to how things were three years ago."

"But that's what you want?"

Ronnie nodded sadly. "Of course it is… for all of us. We were so happy before all of this."

"You do know that it's not a sure fix, Mum? Even if you and Dad do get back together it won't erase what happened. We both know that he won't hesitate to throw it back in your face whenever you argue."

"Neither will you." Her mother pointed out. "But no, I know that. Of course I know that. But I love him and I love our family."

Katy nodded slowly, trying to get her head around what Ronnie had said. She didn't really know what she wanted to happen. In an ideal world, she wanted the same as Ronnie; for them all to go back to how they had been before Ronnie and Roxy's disappearance. She knew, however, that it was unrealistic. Too much had happened and everyone had changed too much for things to be smooth sailing.

"I've gotta get to the bar." She announced after a couple of minutes. At the slightly panicked look on her mother's face, she smiled softly. "I really do have to go to work. I won't say anything to anyone. What you and Dad get up to is none of my business; you're both grown adults. Just… be careful. I don't want to see either of you getting hurt."

"Thank you."

Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, Katy left the flat and stepped out onto the Square. She paused on the top step and took a deep breath, looking out at the comfortingly familiar sight. The past three years seemed like some kind of sick joke, now. Katy could barely believe that her mother and aunt had been missing from her life.

Smiling at various stallholders as she passed, Katy hurried to the bar. It was colder than she'd been anticipating and she wished she'd put a thicker coat on, especially in case she ran into Glenda who would definitely have something to say about her state of dress. Relieved that Kathy was already at work and so the heating was on, Katy made her way slowly up to the office.

"Good night last night?" The older woman asked as soon as she realised who had walked in.

"Excellent." Katy agreed, hanging up her jacket and dropping onto the sofa. "Ruby's was rammed. It was definitely worth closing this place for the night."

"I meant did _you_ have a good night." Kathy clarified, chuckling a little at the girl's business-focused reply. "Glenda loved the video you sent her."

"Ah, yeah…" Wincing a little at the memory, the young woman shrugged. "Didn't want her to think I wasn't thinking about her."

"Well it was very sweet." Kathy told her, earning herself a slightly embarrassed huff in reply.

"Did you two have fun?"

"We did, thank you. Karen's party was a riot."

"Good." Katy beamed, pleased that they'd enjoyed themselves. She did feel a little guilty for the amount of times she'd asked Kathy to cover her or Glenda to babysit. "Right… I've been thinking."

"Always dangerous."

She laughed. "What percentage of our clientele would you say are straight?"

"Uhh…" Kathy looked confused, as though she thought it might be a trick question. "About… twenty percent?"

"I think more like ten… fifteen at most," Katy replied quickly, "and I don't think that would change if we stopped the lower bar, upper bar thing and branded the whole place as a gay bar. Quite frankly we should have done it to start with."

"You'll hear no objections from me. I think Tina will be delighted, too."

"Good."

* * *

Katy had gone backwards and forwards all afternoon over whether to make the call she was thinking about or not. She knew that it wasn't her business, wasn't her place to comment, but she couldn't help herself. It might have been between her parents, but she knew that the fallout would affect every single one of them.

Biting the bullet, she picked up her mobile and found Jack's number in her contacts. Then she put the handset down again, taking several steps away from her desk and running her hands through her hair. Turning to stare at her phone, she chewed her thumbnail, wondering whether she was doing the absolute worst thing she could possibly do.

"Shit." Katy snatched up the mobile and hit the call button before she could change her mind again. "Dad?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just… I need to talk to you."

"Go on…"

"In person. Can you come to R&R?" She sighed. "You'll get less angry with me in person."

There was a pause. "What've you done?"

"It's not what _I've_ done."

"Give me ten minutes and I'll be there, OK?"

Ending the call, Katy dropped her phone onto the desk again, almost as though it had burnt her. There was no going back now, whether she wanted to or not. Although she hadn't said anything specific, Katy knew that Jack would see through any lie immediately.

She paced the office while she waited for her father to arrive, trying to work out exactly what she wanted to say before he walked through the office door. Everything she rehearsed sounded whiney and selfish, like she was making it about her. It wasn't her intention, but she knew that Jack would instinctively think that was all she was worried about.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Katy leapt out of the chair that she had only just settled in at the sound of his voice. "I saw you and Mum at New Year's… in the office at Ruby's."

Jack rubbed the back of his neck agitatedly. "Don't go shouting the odds about–"

"I'm not shouting about _anything_." His daughter hissed at him, completely unsurprised that his first instinct had been to get defensive. "I just wanna check you know what you're doing because Mum actually wants that kiss to mean something. So, you know, I'm giving you a head's up in case you weren't actually aware that you've got yourself into a situation that you probably didn't intend to." When he simply stared at her, Katy sighed. "Someone is gonna get hurt, Dad, whatever you decide to do. There's no way you can work this any other way."

"Oh god…"

She watched as he dropped heavily onto the sofa and put his head in his hands. Katy sighed, before moving to sit tentatively beside him. For a couple of moments, neither of them spoke or moved. Biting her lip, the blonde hesitantly laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not gonna say anything to anyone, Dad. I don't want you or Mum hurt if this gets out before you've worked out what you're gonna do. But you do have to work something out." She inhaled sharply. "We've just got everything back… I don't want everything wrecked again. Please."


	62. Chapter 62

"I watched this TV show and the couple in it reminded me of you and Dad." Katy told Ronnie innocently, the hint of a smirk playing around her lips. "They were in love from when they were teenagers, but they got separated and had kids with other people. Then they met up again when they were older and realised that they were still in love."

"Wait… are you talking about Last Tango in Halifax?" Ronnie asked incredulously, twisting slightly so that she could look her daughter in the eyes.

"Yeah! They remind me so much of you and Dad."

"Piss off!" Shoving her daughter's legs off her lap, she let out an indignant huff. "They're about a hundred! We're nowhere near their age! I'm forty-bloody-five!"

"You'll forever be pensioners to me."

"I hate you sometimes."

"No you don't." Katy reminded her, batting her eyelashes and smiling innocently. "You love me."

"Shut up, I hate you."

"I'm your favourite daughter."

"You're lucky you've only got brothers."

Standing up, Katy stretched before dropping a kiss onto the top of Ronnie's head. "I'll go and get the kids. Whit's having them until about six, but it's gonna be another late one, I'm afraid."

"I'm at Ruby's tonight, but your Gran will be here."

"Jess asked me why you named your club after Ruby and not her or Soph." The younger blonde said with a chuckle, gathering up her things. "I tried to explain you didn't name it, but I'm pretty sure she thinks there's some blatant favouritism going on there."

"Oh, wonderful!"

Laughing at her mother's tone, Katy left the flat and stepped out onto the Square. She smiled as met Jean's eyes, sending her a small wave before heading under the bridge in the direction of the school. Tapping at her mobile as she walked, reading a couple of emails that she'd been avoiding since they'd hit her inbox, Katy arrived at the school gates quicker than she had anticipating.

She sighed as she realised that there was no one already waiting in the playground that she had any intention of speaking to. Instead, she pushed her hands into her pockets and glared up at the sky, wishing she'd thought to bring an umbrella as fat, freezing cold raindrops started landing on her head.

"Here…"

In surprise, Katy looked towards the direction the voice had come from and spotted Alex holding an umbrella in her direction. Her mind whirled back to what Lola had said at the pub days before and she clenched her fists at her sides. For a moment she considered refusing, before realising that she would rather put up with a conversation than stand in the pouring rain without any form of protection.

"Thanks…"

"Good Christmas?" He asked lightly. "Haven't seen you since they came back."

"No… my gran and mum have been picking up while I've been at work." She glanced at him, before turning her gaze resolutely back on the building. "How was yours? Christmas, I mean…"

"It was good, thanks, yeah." He replied lightly. "Charlie had a great time with his cousins… it's always good seeing family, though, isn't it."

Katy snorted. "Sometimes I feel like I see far too much of mine."

"Must be nice having them all close by."

"Something like that."

As the bell rang and children started being sent out to their parents, Katy smiled quickly at the man beside her before fixing her eyes on the doors once more. She raised a hand and waved as Amy, Ricky and Ruby ambled towards her from the junior end of the school, smiling as they reached her and immediately started talking about their days. Amy spared a curious glance in Alex's direction but, thankfully, didn't make any of her usual cheeky comments.

"Oh god…" Katy groaned at the sight of the reception teacher waving her over, wondering what she was about to be told. Glancing towards the older children, she sighed. "You three… stay here. Hopefully I won't be long…"

"I'll keep an eye on them if you want?" Alex offered, earning himself a nod and a fleeting, grateful smile.

"Can I have a quick word?" Ms Gardener asked, smiling in a way that immediately set Katy on edge.

Not seeing that she had much choice, the young woman followed the teacher into the classroom. She shot the twins and Matthew a warning look as they shuffled on the spot and tried their best to look innocent, not convincing her for a second.

"What've they done?" Katy asked as soon as they were seated, not waiting for the teacher to speak.

"There was an incident this afternoon between Jessica and another child." Ms Gardener started, causing Katy to turn and glare at her daughter. "It started with some name calling and pushing on both sides, but then Jessica escalated the incident by using some inappropriate language and hitting the other child in the face."

Katy paused, forcing herself not to react instinctively to the woman's words. "There must have been something that triggered that? Have you asked Jess why she reacted like that? My kids aren't violent. Who was the other kid involved?"

"We spoke to both children and those who were around at the time. According to Jessica the other child said something she didn't like so she hit him."

"Jess, get over here." Katy ordered, turning to raise an eyebrow at her daughter. The five-year-old frowned, but did as she was told. "What happened?"

"He called me weird and said that Mitchells are all stupid and scum, so I called him a fucking twat and I punched him." Jessica informed her bluntly.

Letting her eyes slip shut for a moment, Katy forced herself to stay calm. "Firstly, you need to apologise, because you know that's not acceptable." As the little girl mumbled an apology, her mother nodded. Then she turned on the teacher. "Secondly, I hope you told this other kid – and their parents – that what he said is totally out of order. I will not have my kids told things like that by _anyone_. I can assure you that Jess will be punished for her behaviour and she'll apologise to the other kid for hitting him, but if anything like that is said to her again... to any of the kids… _I'll_ be dealing with it."

"Ms Mitchell, I can assure you that–"

"With all due respect, I don't want your assurances. I'm just letting you know what'll be happening, alright?" Katy motioned for Jessica to go back and join the other two, before lowering her voice. "Look, Ms Gardener. I've put up with enough crap in my life because of my family and I'm not going to let the kids have to deal with that as well. If you won't do anything about it, I will."

Standing up abruptly, Katy swept out of the classroom with Matthew and the twins. She forced a neutral expression onto her face as they headed up the playground to retrieve the others. Smiling at her daughter and siblings, she waved off their questions about what she'd been talking to the teacher about, thanking Alex quickly for keeping an eye on them.

"You wanna watch out, Alex." A voice called from further along the playground. Whirling round, Katy realised that it was Shelly talking and her blood pressure rose significantly. "Stay away from that one… the Mitchells are all bad news. You don't wanna get yourself involved with that lot; they're all thugs and criminals."

"Was it _your_ kid saying stuff to my daughter?" Katy demanded furiously, surging towards her.

Glancing down as she realised that something was stopping her moving any closer to the other woman, she saw that Alex had wrapped an arm around her waist and was holding her back. She looked up at him furiously, opening her mouth to warn him to let go of her, but he shook his head.

"She's not worth it." He told her quietly. "Everyone's looking… you'll come off worse if you go for her. Let her mouth off and be the bigger person."

Shooting him a disbelieving look, she shook her head. "Maybe she's right and you should stay away from me if you think that's the way to deal with this."

"So you wanna be the person she's saying you are?"

"Who says I'm not already?"

"I don't believe it."

Katy was about to laugh in his face, to tell him that she didn't care what he thought. But then something stopped her and she inhaled sharply. Jerking her head towards the gates, she signalled that the children should start walking. Realising that she wasn't in the mood for their usual nonsense, all six of them immediately did as she had silently asked.

"Are you intending to make the whole of your son's class hate you?" Katy asked Shelly, forcing her tone to stay even. "First Linda, now me… who's gonna be next on your character assassination list?" She looked at the women surrounding the older blonde and scoffed pityingly. "You wanna watch yourselves… I doubt being friends with her will keep you out of her firing line."

Turning sharply, she stalked up the playground in the direction of the gate, still shaking with anger. Alex hurried to catch up, his son's hand clamped tightly in his. When Katy crouched to zip up Matthew's coat against the rain, he stopped, glancing back in the direction they'd just come.

"She's a piece of work that Shelly. I knew she wasn't as nice as she made out."

Katy snorted. "She's a fucking cow. Sorry…"

"You're alright." They started along the road, the children milling along in front of them. "So… are you Mitchells really as bad as she was making out?"

Smirking, the blonde arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh, honey, we're so much worse."


	63. Chapter 63

"Bex… is Louise OK?" Katy asked, catching the arm of the teenager as she passed her outside the Minute Mart. "It's just… I haven't seen her for a couple of days and she hasn't replied to my messages."

"Yeah, I think so…" The brunette shrugged. "I mean, she's tired and I don't think she's really getting much rest, but Peggy's absolutely gorgeous."

"Right… If you see her, can you tell her to let me know she's OK?"

"Course, no problem."

Watching her cousin wander away, reading something on her mobile, Katy bit her lip. She considered going over to the house and demanding to see Louise, before deciding against it. She knew what it was like dealing with a newborn and she wasn't remotely surprised that her cousin might be struggling with it, particularly after Keanu's disappearance.

"Hey, K, you and me home alone on Monday night, kid!"

"You what?" Laughing slightly at the over exuberant way Tina had bounded towards her, Katy dodged as her friend attempted to sling an arm around her shoulders. "What are you on about, T?"

"Kathy's got the night off – apparently her and Glenda have big plans – so we're in charge."

"Tina, babe, I'm always in charge. It's my bar, remember?"

"Yeah, but you know what I mean. We can have a few drinks, have a bit of a laugh… there's a stag in, which you know is always fun." Tina pulled her best puppy dog expression. "Come on; I think we both need to let our hair down."

"OK, OK, fine!" Katy agreed, earning herself an excited squeal. "But I won't be coming in until eight, so you'll have to contain yourself until then."

Tina laughed. "I've still got three days to get through until Monday night. I would try and drag Shirl along, but I don't think she'll be up for it."

"She OK?"

"Family stuff, you know how it is." She grinned. "Course you do; you're a Mitchell."

"Haha, shut up." Katy shoved her gently. "I'll see you later."

Her brief conversation with Tina had cheered her up and so Katy headed over to Walford Primary in a much better mood. That, combined with the fact that there had been no incidents that the teachers needed to report back to her, had her smiling as Alex struck up a conversation with her on the playground.

"Katy, can Charlie come over to play?" Matthew asked suddenly, tugging on her sleeve and grinning up at her hopefully.

Glancing quickly in Alex's direction, she shrugged. "You'll have to ask his dad."

"Can he?"

"Sure, if it's OK with Katy."

The blonde smiled and nodded. "Yeah sure, it's Friday."

As the children celebrated, running as far as the school gates and waiting for the adults to catch up, Katy glanced in the young man's direction. "You sure you don't mind your kid spending time with the likes of us? Not worried he'll come back with a criminal record?"

Alex laughed. "Not at all. Although maybe I should come along to make sure?"

"Maybe you should."

Together they walked back to the Square. Katy avoided meeting anyone's eyes as they headed towards home, unlocking the door and ushering Alex and the children inside ahead of her. She was glad that Amy, Ricky and Ruby were all staying to afterschool clubs and that Jack would be picking them up later, because it made things a little less hectic in the flat.

Once the children were settled, Katy led the way into the kitchen and put the kettle on. She watched Alex looking around curiously as she leant against the counters and waited for it to boil, turning away as soon as she heard the familiar click and not speaking until she had placed two mugs on the table and settled herself in one of the chairs.

"So… tell me about yourself."

Laughing softly at Alex's words, she arched an eyebrow at him, leaning back in her chair and wrapping her hands around her mug. "That is literally the worst line in existence."

"What? I'm genuinely curious." He defended himself with a grin. "Besides, this isn't a date, is it?"

"Of course it's not."

"Right, so…"

Katy sighed and shook her head. "There's not much to tell."

"Now I _know_ that's a lie." Alex told her immediately. "You're far too interesting for that to be true."

"You're right… it's not that there's not much to tell, it's that there's _too_ much to tell and most of it doesn't particularly paint me in the best light. In fact, if I told you half of it you'd probably come to the conclusion that that Shelly cow was right all along."

"I doubt that."

"Yeah, well… tell me about you instead." Katy prompted, dropping her gaze to her hands. "What do you do?"

"I'm a police officer."

The blonde almost choked on her tea at his words. "A… what?"

"I'm just kidding." Alex laughed at her reaction.

Katy glared at him, kicking him under the table before pouting petulantly. "Why would anyone pretend to be a cop?"

"Figured it would get a decent reaction from you."

"You're such a knob. What do you actually do?"

"I'm a freelance graphic designer." He said with a shrug. Seeing the bemused expression on her face Alex grinned. "I work on branding and advertising campaigns for lots of different companies."

"Wow… sounds interesting. Anything I'd have seen?"

"Couple of bars on the high street, but probably nothing that you'd really have noticed. It's mostly been sports companies and a couple of recruitment and PR firms to be honest."

"I'll have to ask your opinion on the bar's branding."

"Any time." He smiled. "Being freelance is really useful for being around for Charlie. I'm my own boss and work from home, so there's never any problem with childcare."

"I'm my own boss and I still struggle with that." Katy said wryly. "I'm not always working from home, though… I mean, it would probably be an issue if I was running this place as a bar."

"I'll have to check out this famous bar of yours at some point. R&R, isn't it?"

"Yeah… you do know it's a gay bar, right?" She asked, watching him carefully to gage his reaction.

"Is it?"

"Yeah."

"Cool… I bet that's a right laugh." He said.

"Yeah, it's great." Katy agreed with a nod, relieved that he hadn't given any indication that he was uncomfortable with the fact that R&R was a gay bar. She was growing to quite like him, but knew that if he'd had any problem with it she'd have had a problem with him. "We get a _lot_ of hen parties, which is a bit of a chore, but on the whole it's brilliant."

"I'm looking forward to experiencing it for myself." Alex told her, grinning. "I'd have to find a babysitter for Charlie though, which is harder than it sounds."

"Could his mum not look after him?"

He didn't comment on the fact that she was clearly fishing for information. "We haven't seen her for two years, since she walked out on us. She never really was the maternal type… she didn't really want Charlie, but I persuaded her to keep him."

"That's tough… I'm sorry."

Alex shrugged. "We're OK. To be honest, we're better off without her. What about you?"

"I didn't know her, but I'm probably better off without her too." Katy told him with mock-seriousness. Seeing him rolling his eyes, she shrugged. "My ex lives in Spain with his new family. I can't really fault him as a dad… he took on the girls and Matthew as his own and they adore him. I think we just… came to the end of the road, I guess? We'd been together on and off since we were kids and it was never exactly smooth sailing. In the end we wanted different things and just… fell apart. It was probably my fault more than his." She looked at him carefully. "You knew I had… have… cancer?"

"I heard something…"

"Leukaemia." Katy nodded, taking a fortifying gulp of tea. "I had a transplant at the end of last year and so far everything's looking positive, but… for a long time I was really ill and I don't think… there was a hell of a lot of pressure on him and on us and we just crumbled. Clearly we weren't as strong as we thought we were."

Alex opened his mouth, no doubt to say something sympathetic, but the flat door opening and someone coming in caused them both to turn and look towards the living room. Katy let out a silent groan as she heard her mother talking to one of the children, before the older blonde appeared in the kitchen. Ronnie glanced between them, before smiling broadly and moving to re-boil the kettle.

"Hi?"

"Alex, this is Ronnie, my–"

"Alex?" Ronnie whirled around and fixed him with a curious stare. "As in the Alex that Lola was going on about?"

Rolling her eyes, Katy shifted awkwardly in her chair. "I dunno, maybe? His little boy is round playing with Matthew and the twins."

"Well it is very nice to meet you." The older blonde announced, holding out her hand to shake his.

"You too… so… are you Katy's sister?"

"Fuck's sake…" Katy muttered, frowning at the smug grin that had appeared on Ronnie's face at the assumption. "No, she's my _mother_."

"Really?" Alex looked between them, as though he thought she was having him on. "You don't look anywhere near old enough."

"Charming…"

"I was very young." Ronnie said, still beaming at him. "Oh, I like you. You can stick around." Chuckling to herself, she turned back to her daughter. "I'm over at Ruby's later and Mum is out with Kathy, but your dad said that he'd have the kids at his tonight and take them all swimming tomorrow. He wants you to give him a ring, though… something about Whit and that Leo?"

"Right…"

"If you're busy, I'll–"

Ronnie shook her head quickly. "Don't be silly. The children are having a great time. We can have a chat while Katy phones her dad, can't we?"

As Alex sent her a worried, almost scared look, Katy chuckled to herself and left the room.

* * *

_**A/N: I've got an incredibly busy and stressful couple of weeks coming up and - mostly due to the fact that I'll probably be practically living at work for the foreseeable - I almost definitely won't be able to update for a while. Maybe until the end of the month. **_

_**I'm really sorry and I'm going to find this as annoying as you are, but real life has got to come first this time.**_

_**See you on the other side!**_

_**x**_


	64. Chapter 64

On Tuesday morning, Katy was sporting a mammoth hangover, but doing her best to pretend she wasn't. She had woken up in the office with another guy she couldn't remember the name of and incredibly patchy memories of the night before.

After sending him packing, she had made herself the biggest coffee she could manage and hidden herself away in her office with stock lists, staff rotas and the accounts.

"It was good to see you letting your hair down last night." Tina announced, bursting into the room and dropping onto the sofa.

"_How_ are you that energetic?" Katy complained, burying her head in her hands. "I feel like shit."

"It wasn't _me_ dancing on tables last night."

"I wasn't?"

"You were." Tina confirmed with a grin. "Until you disappeared off to the office with that guy from the stag party. At least it answered the question about whether he was gay or not."

"Oh god." Putting her head in her hands again, Katy let out a long groan.

"I bumped into Ronnie on the way over. She said she was gonna grab a couple of coffees from the caf and head over to see you."

"Shit."

Laughing, Tina shook her head. "You're twenty-seven; she's not gonna tell you off for staying out all night."

"She probably will." Katy argued weakly.

"Who probably will what?"

Groaning quietly as her mother entered the office, Katy put her head in her hands and pointedly avoided meeting her eyes. As Tina laughingly told Ronnie what Katy had done the night before, the younger blonde sat up quickly and glared at her friend. She opened her mouth to argue with Tina's assessment of the situation, before realising that she hadn't actually said anything that wasn't true and closing it again with a soft noise of irritation.

"Haven't you got somewhere else to be?" She muttered at last, pouting at her assistant manager from behind her hair.

Once Tina had left the office, shooting Katy a grin and a wink as she went, Ronnie let out a soft sigh. She moved closer to the desk for a moment, cupping her daughter's face and looking at her carefully. When Katy sat back in her chair and frowned, she sighed again. Settling herself on the sofa, Ronnie fixed Katy with a searching look.

"What were you thinking, eh?"

"What d'you mean, what was I thinking? I was having fun."

Ronnie tilted her head slightly, looking at her daughter thoughtfully. "I thought you and Alex…"

"We're mates, that's all."

"Really, because when I walked in on you two in the kitchen it looked very cosy."

Katy rolled her eyes. "We were having a conversation. Not all of us feel the need to ram our tongues down people's throats if we're left in a room alone."

"Katherine."

"Oh, _Katherine_, is it?"

"When you're being like this, yes."

"You and Dad worked out what's going on between you, then?"

"What?"

"Well… if you're on your high horse with me you clearly haven't got anything to sort out yourself, have you?"

"Whatever happens between me and Jack is none of your–"

"It is totally my business!" Katy argued. "Like I told him; it's not just your lives you're messing with by having an affair."

"It's _not_ an affair."

"Right… so what do you call getting into a relationship with someone who's already got a partner?" The younger blonde argued. "In my book, that's an affair."

"Katy…"

"What?"

"You know it's more complicated than that." Ronnie told her with a deep sigh. "Me and Jack… we've got so much history, right back to when we were teenagers. We've got you and James… anything between us could never be as simple as an affair."

"_I_ understand that, but I'm not so sure Denise will."

"You can't tell her, Katy."

"Of course I…" Moving to sit beside her mother on the sofa, the younger woman ran a hand over her face tiredly. "Of course I won't tell her anything. The last thing I would ever want to do is make things hard for you… I just… I'm worried you're going to get hurt either way. I don't… I don't know if Dad…"

"Your dad loves me, Katy."

"I know that." She agreed with a nod. "But he loves Denise as well and I'm not sure whether he's…" Huffing, not really knowing how to voice her concerns, she shrugged. "You know Dad… he's not the best at knowing what he wants or doing the right thing."

Ronnie frowned at her, but was prevented – to her relief – from continuing the conversation by a knock on the door. Both women turned to see who was about to enter, frowning in unison as Leon appeared in the doorway with a massive bouquet of brightly coloured flowers. Standing, Katy moved to lean against her desk, folding her arms and fixing the flowers with a suspicious glare.

"Delivery for you, boss."

"What are they?"

"They're flowers, Katy." Ronnie told her, rolling her eyes. She stood up and took the flowers from the man's arms, examining them carefully for any sign of a card. "Who d'you think sent them?"

"Absolutely no idea and I really don't care, either." She glanced towards her barman and smiled quickly. "Thanks, Leon." As he closed the door behind him, Katy frowned at the older woman. "Seriously, I'm not remotely interested in who sent them."

"Well I am…" Her mother opened the envelope and read the card quickly. "_Date? Speak to you later. _But it's not signed? Who d'you think sent it? They're a few days early for Valentine's Day."

"Dunno, but it's clearly been wrongly delivered."

"D'you think Alex–?"

"I severely doubt it." Katy muttered, shaking her head. "Like I said, we're mates. It would be so weird if he sent them, considering that's all we are."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely."

"OK? So… who else could have sent them?"

Katy huffed. "I don't know and, like I said, I don't–"

"Care. Yes, I got that the first time." Ronnie replied, arching an eyebrow at her. She was relieved that the focus had shifted from her to her daughter. "But I agree with Lola, you need to get back out there and find someone. You've proved that you can bring up the girls and run a business brilliantly on your own, but you can't tell me that you're happy, Katy. That's all I want for you… I want you to be happy."

"I don't need a _man_ to be happy, thank you very much."

"That's not…" Ronnie sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I know you don't, but I've seen you when you're in the pub with Jay and Lola. I know you want to find that again… what you had with Tyler."

"Mum." Her daughter snapped in a warning tone.

"Yes, yes, I know… he who must not be named."

"Leave it."

"Don't you have a hospital appointment today?"

"It's at two." Katy agreed with a shrug. "I'll go straight from there to pick up the kids."

Ronnie frowned. "Will you be able to get there in time?"

"Course… they'll just take some blood, do the usual checks, have a go at me for doing too much… it's fine. _I'm_ fine."

"D'you want me to come with you?"

"Do I ever want you to come with me?"

"No, but–"

Katy smiled at her. "Honestly, Mum, I don't want a fuss. You know my results have been positive, I'm doing well and they're happy with how things are going. I just wanna get the tests done, deal with the inevitable lecture about how I shouldn't been working so hard and how my immune system is wrecked so I should avoid situations that might lead to me getting ill and forget about it until my next appointment."

"Fine…" Ronnie sighed, smiling wryly. "They do know what they're talking about, though. You should probably listen to them about the immune system and rest thing."

"Yeah… not gonna happen. I've got too much to do to take a load of duvet days."

"I could do with a few."

"That's getting old, for you." Katy replied with a cheeky wink. Then she sighed. "Right… I'm heading home for a shower and a nap before my appointment. I'll catch you later."

* * *

Despite how sure she'd been that she'd have plenty of time to go to her appointment and collect the children from school at half past three, Katy was running late. She swore as she almost dropped her phone as someone barged into her just outside the Vic. Glancing up, ready to give whoever it was a piece of her mind, she frowned as her eyes fell on a rather wild looking Linda.

"Everything alright, Mick?" Katy asked, frowning as his wife stamped towards the pub.

"Not really, babe, no." He admitted, looking warily after the older blonde.

Linda wheeled round, her eyes flashing angrily as she advanced on the younger blonde. "That's the understatement of the century. The school called social services on us. _US_. They had no reason… _no_ reason!"

"L, leave it." Mick cautioned quietly, reaching out for her.

"Linda… I'm so sorry. That's shit. If it were my kids–"

"They'd have far more reason to investigate you! You're a Mitchell for god's sake! That's reason enough in itself!"

"L!" Mick grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Katy and scowling at her. "That's enough." He pushed her through the pub doors, before turning back to the younger woman. "I'm so, so sorry, Katy."

"It's OK. I've had worse." She shrugged. "I mean, if it was anyone else saying it, I'd probably give them a smack, but Shirl's like family, so…"

"No, that ain't OK." He shook his head. "We're both gutted about this… but that's no reason to take it out on you."

"Mick, honestly, I ain't gonna take it personally. If I was in your position I'd be kicking off left, right and centre. I'd do a lot worse than telling someone they're more likely to be a danger to their kids 'cos of their surname." She smiled at him, reaching out to squeeze his bicep. "They ain't gonna find nothing on you… either of you. It'll be OK, Mick."

He smiled tightly, before nodding and patting her hand on his arm. Then he turned away and pushed through the doors into the Vic. Katy stared after him for a moment, before exhaling deeply and making her way quickly through the market.


	65. Chapter 65

The following morning, Katy walked the children to school thinking about the conversation that she needed to have with Alex. The more she'd thought about it, the more it seemed like him who had sent her the flowers. They'd even joked about their chat and cuppa being a date, which made sense when she thought about the note that had been attached to the bouquet.

Smiling tightly at Ms Gardener as she handed over Matthew and the twins, Katy chewed her lip as she tried to see if Charlie was in the Year 1 classroom yet. Unable to catch sight of him, she pulled out her phone and wandered up the playground, keeping one eye on her emails and the other on the parents wandering down the concrete towards the school building.

"You waiting for someone or just loitering suspiciously?"

Katy smirked as she looked up from her phone and met Alex's teasing gaze. "Could be either, you'll never know."

"Let me drop the gremlin off and we can go for coffee if you want? Definitely not on a date."

"Sounds good." She agreed, waggling her fingers at Charlie who grinned back at her toothily. "I'll wait up there for you."

She was unable to stop herself returning Alex's smile as he beamed at her over his shoulder. Huffing as soon as his back was turned, she glared at the floor for a moment, before stamping over to the wall and dropping onto it heavily.

"So? Coffee? It's a bit early for anything stronger."

"Alex… thanks for the flowers, but can you _not_, in future."

He frowned at her, hurrying to catch up as she strode away along the pavement. "Huh?"

"It was sweet of you, but please don't send me flowers again… especially not to the bar."

"I never sent you any flowers." Alex told her with a shrug. "I mean, I'm willing to take the credit if you liked them, but I didn't send them."

"Oh…" Katy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Right, sorry, I just assumed…"

"It's a fair assumption, but I didn't." He pushed his hands into his pockets as they walked. "You got any idea who else might have sent them?"

"Nope." She shook her head. "But whoever it was wasted their money; I gave them straight to my Gran."

Alex laughed. "I'm not at all surprised. That sounds exactly like something I'd expect you to do."

She nudged him with her elbow. "Coffee's on you, anyway."

* * *

Propping up her chin on her hand, Katy huffed agitatedly as she stared blankly at the screen of the computer. Three of her employees had called in sick and rearranging the rotas was causing the massive throbbing pain in her head as she did her best to work out how to cover their shifts. As it was she was already working the next few weeks without a break and there was no way she could be in multiple places at once. The only night off she had coming up was to attend the Vic's boat party.

Huffing again, she didn't bother to look up as there was a light knock on the office door and someone walked in. Clicking irritably at the mouse, letting out an annoyed noise as the screen froze and frustrated her further, she barely acknowledged the intrusion to her space.

"Yeah?"

"I come all the way from Spain to see you and that's the best I get?"

"What are you doing here?"

Tyler sent her a lopsided grin. "Nice to see you, too."

"No, seriously, Tyler," Katy shook her head agitatedly, "what are you doing here?"

"I've left Pippa."

There was a long pause as she mentally digested his words. Tyler was still sending her his crooked, cheeky grin as though he thought that would convince her to give him an easier time after his announcement. Unfortunately for Tyler, it had completely the opposite effect, riling Katy up as she considered his blasé attitude to the whole situation.

"You're married with a kid. You can't just run away." She snapped. "You haven't been married six months! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It's not my kid… she lied to me."

"So… what? Whatever her name is cheated on you and you thought you'd just come here and… what? You thought I'd just take you back? Your ego's taken a kicking and you thought I'd be waiting to make you feel better." Katy demanded angrily. "Seriously, Tyler?"

"Katy, I love you. You know I do."

"No, Tyler. No!" She shook her head, leaning backwards in her chair as though she thought that would let her get further away from him. "You need to grow up. I'm done. I can't _do_ this anymore. I can't deal with you popping back into our lives whenever it suits you. You know I was shot, Tyler… I could have died. And you know what? In that moment I thought about everyone and everything I was on the brink of losing. I didn't think about you once. Not _once_. That told me everything I need to know about our relationship."

"Is there someone else?"

She exhaled angrily. "For god's sake!"

"So there is?"

"No, Tyler, there isn't. No one apart from the kids. They're the only ones I can think about right now." Katy folded her arms across her chest. "You need to go."

"Katy, just give me one more chance." He pleaded. "Let me make it up to you. Let me prove–"

"No."

"Please."

Losing her temper, Katy stepped forward, grinding her teeth. "Get. The fuck. Out."

"I'm not going anywhere until you hear me out."

"Fine. Fine, you stay here. I need to go and pick up the kids, anyway."

"I'll come with you."

"Tyler, no!" Katy snapped, whirling round and glaring at him. "What the hell kind of message would that send to them? I'm not gonna let them get hurt because you can't decide who or what you want."

"I want _you_, Katy. I always have."

"Well I don't want you."

Leaving him staring after her, Katy strode out of her office and the bar. She paused to take a deep breath, before marching away across the Square. She didn't pause or slow down until she turned the corner into the street where Walford Primary was. Making it through the gates, she stopped abruptly, feeling as though she was on the verge of tears.

"Hi." Alex greeted Katy with a warm smile, appearing beside her from nowhere. "You alright? You look a bit stressed."

"One of those days." She muttered, pushing her hands into her coat pockets. "They not let them out yet?"

He shook his head, glancing towards the building. "Nope. I guess they're all running a bit late."

"At least I got here in time, then, I guess." Katy said, smiling weakly at him. "I was convinced they'd be the last ones left here."

"I'd have stuck around with them 'til you got here."

"Thanks." Katy nudged him with her shoulder, before opening her mouth to say something else.

Before she could speak, however, she was suddenly painfully aware of a presence beside her. Both Katy and Alex turned at the same time, the young woman's fists clenching in her pockets as she realised that Tyler was staring at her friend with something that looked like angry jealousy shifting in his eyes.

"Tyler, this is my friend Alex." Katy said quickly, putting emphasis on their relationship. "Alex, this is the girls' dad, Tyler Moon.

"Alex? Nice to meet you, mate." Tyler said, holding out his hand for the other man to shake.

"You too." He replied, shooting a quick look towards Katy, who was keeping her eyes resolutely fixed on the school building. "Katy said you live in Spain. You over here on holiday?"

"Well, at the moment, but I'm considering a more permanent move home."

"Are you?" Katy couldn't help the surprise she felt coming out in her tone.

"I'm thinking about it, yeah."

"Well don't say anything to the kids until you're sure." She warned him seriously. "I won't have them upset when you change your mind, alright?"

Rolling his eyes at her, he moved forward as the classroom doors opened and the teachers started dismissing the children. Ruby was the first to spot Tyler, letting out a delighted cry and running into his waiting arms. He swung her into the air, hugging her tightly as she asked 101 questions without waiting for an answer.

"Are you staying with us?" She demanded as soon as Tyler had greeted Matthew and the twins as well. "Are Pippa and Logan here? Did you bring baby Mason?"

"No, they didn't come with me." Tyler told her quickly, glancing awkwardly at Katy. "And I'm staying in a B&B for a couple of nights."

"There's no room at home." Katy reminded them quickly. "We're crammed in as it is."

"Mum wants Grandma and Grandad Jack to get back together so she can have her room back." Ruby informed Tyler bluntly. "Grandma Ronnie is sharing with her at the moment."

"That can't be very… convenient."

"It's fine." She replied shortly. "Come on, kids, grab your stuff." She turned and touched Alex's arm to get his attention. "See you tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have time for a proper chat."

"Yeah, have a good evening."

Sending him a quick smile, she turned and herded the children in the direction of the street, completely ignoring Tyler's presence. The children, however, were doing the total opposite and Katy was trying very hard not to be offended by their lack on interest in her while he was around. She clenched her fists in her pockets at a burst of laughter from behind her, the children giggling at something he'd said.

The walk back to Albert Square seemed to take hours and Katy was relieved as they made their way under the bridge. Matthew asked whether Tyler was coming home with them, receiving a curt reply, before Katy ushered them up the steps and inside. She turned and shot Tyler a hard look as he hovered on the pavement outside, before shutting the door firmly behind her.

"Jess just told me that Tyler's here." Ronnie's querying voice broke through Katy's thoughts and made her look up, dropping her hands away from her face. "Why?"

Katy shook her head. "I don't really know. He said he's thinking about moving back."

"Is that… something that you'd want?"

"No." The younger woman shook her head. "It's not. We're done. I can't… I've got to move on."

Ronnie nodded slowly, understanding what her daughter was saying. "OK."

"I've gotta get to R&R. Can you…?"

"Of course. Be careful."

"Always am."


	66. Chapter 66

To her relief, there was no sign of Tyler when she stepped back outside. Keeping her head down, Katy hurried to the bar, slipping inside with barely more than a wave and a fleeting smile at the staff. She shut herself away in the office although she knew there was no chance she'd get anything useful done.

"I don't like him."

"What?" Looking up sharply, Katy fixed Tyler with a disbelieving look. "Who?"

"That Alex."

"Oh my god! Why are you being like this, Tyler? Why are you here?"

"Because I love you and I know that you love me." He told her, his tone softening. "Please, Katy… don't throw everything we have away for some guy who–"

"Alex is my _friend_, Tyler. Nothing more." She told him slowly, as though spelling out something complicated to someone particularly stupid. "And even if he wasn't, it's none of your business, not anymore."

"I just think you should… look, you might not think there's anything between you but he clearly ain't got that memo. I think you should–"

"You can't tell me who I can and can't be friends with, Tyler." She snapped, scowling at him. "I don't belong to you. I ain't nothing to do with you anymore. It's my life and you ain't part of that now… your choice, not mine, remember."

"It was very much your choice. Everything is always your choice, Katy." He retorted, equally angrily. "It's your way or nothing. You can't see that someone, anyone, might have a different way of doing something or a different opinion that might not be wrong. You have to be in control of everything!"

"And what about you, eh? You're not in control of _anything_. What kind of man lets his girlfriend sleep with someone to pay off his debt?"

"That was your choice, Katy, it weren't mine."

"Maybe not, but you were fuck all use, weren't you?" She reminded him viciously. "If it had been down to you we'd have been bankrupt, homeless… he was threatening you, me, Gran… even the kids and you did absolutely nothing about it."

"I would have figured it out."

Katy laughed. "Would you? Would you really? Because all you really did was run off to Spain and find someone else. Look how well that ended for you."

"So that's what you're doing now, is it? You're seeing that Alex to punish me?"

"Oh my god!" She threw up her hands in disbelief. "And you say I think everything is about me. If – and I mean _if_ – I was seeing Alex it would be because I like him and he's a good guy. It would have absolutely nothing to do with you."

"Right."

"Tyler… I don't care if you go off and marry twenty other women. We're over. We're done. You do not get a say in my life. Not anymore. Just stay out of my business."

"What are you gonna do about it if I don't, eh? Are you gonna do the same to me as you did to that Nathan or Carl?"

Katy gaped at him. "Tyler! Of… of course I wouldn't! I can't believe you'd even…"

"What? Is it so ridiculous that I might be a little concerned?" He snapped at her. "Don't forget, I know what you're capable of."

"Whatever you think I'm capable of, you're still the girls' dad. They love you and I would never, ever hurt them."

"You're right, I am their dad." He told her and Katy was suddenly concerned about what the expression on his face meant. "I want custody."

"You what?" She gaped at him. "Why? Have I _ever_ stopped you seeing them? Have I ever made it remotely difficult for you to spend time with them?"

Tyler shook his head. "I want it to be official. I want there to be something legal in place so you can't turn round and decide that you don't want me in their lives no more."

"Tyler… I wouldn't do that."

"Yeah? Well I don't trust you and I ain't risking it. I don't trust you around the kids and I'll fight you through the courts if I have to. I want custody, Katy."

The silence that echoed around the office after he uttered those words and stormed out, slamming the door behind him, was deafening. It crashed over Katy with the force of a train, sending her into a crumpled, sobbing heap on the floor. She couldn't breathe, the thought of losing the children threatening to engulf her like a suffocating black cloud.

"Tyler's just stormed out of here looking as though he's about to commit a murder." Tina announced lightly, waltzing into the office as though she owned it. "What's hap– oh my god! Katy? Katy!"

"He wants to take the girls away from me." She gasped out, clutching at Tina as the brunette dropped to kneel beside her, hauling Katy into her arms. "He wants custody and I… I can't lose them. They're my world…"

Tina frowned in confusion. "Why would Tyler want to do that?"

"He thinks I'm seeing Alex and he doesn't like it. We had a row and he… he wants to take them away from me."

"Are you seeing Alex?"

Katy glared at her. "Not that it matters, but no. I'm not. We're just friends. But that's not important anyway; he's going to try and take my children, Tina."

"Right… sorry." Tina shook her head. "I'm sorry. Should I call Ronnie or Glenda?"

"No." Katy shook her head. "Please don't… don't tell them about this. I don't want…" She inhaled shakily. "Tina, don't tell anyone about this. I'll find a way to sort this and get Tyler to change his mind."

"You wouldn't… would you? Just to get him to change his mind?"

"Wouldn't what?"

"Well… get back together with him."

Katy shook her head again. "No. We're done. I'm done with him. We don't work… we're dysfunctional and… we hurt each other. I don't… I don't want to hurt anymore."

To Tina's horror, Katy started crying again. She wrapped her arms around the blonde, almost pulling her into her lap as she rocked her gently, trying to stem the flow of tears from the younger woman.

* * *

It took a while, but Tina finally convinced Katy to let her take her home. She wouldn't hear any argument to her decision to cover Katy's shift that night. If it was down to her, she'd have been covering for the next few nights, but there was no way she was going to get her boss to consent to that without causing a huge argument and possibly alienating herself from the blonde.

"What the hell's happened?" Ronnie demanded as she opened the flat door, her eyes widening at the state her daughter was in. "Is it… bad news? Do we need to go to the hospital?"

Katy shook her head, unable to explain again at that moment. Tina sighed deeply, before settling her friend on the sofa and turning to the older blonde seriously. Ronnie looked absolutely terrified, clearly thinking the worst.

"Tyler's told Katy he wants custody of the girls." Tina explained, acutely aware of the fresh wave of silent tears from her friend that followed her words. "Apparently he said he'd take her to court…"

Ronnie ran a hand through her hair, staring at the brunette, before dropping to her knees in front of her daughter. Placing a finger under her chin, she forced Katy to meet her eyes, sweeping the hair off her face and tucking it behind her ears. As Katy shook her head, squeezing her eyes closed to prevent another wave of tears, Ronnie exhaled softly.

"Baby… it's not going to happen. I won't let it." She promised seriously. "I will not let Tyler take the girls away from you. Ruby and the twins are not going anywhere."

"Grandma?"

All three women whirled around to stare at the entrance to the living room, horror plastered across all their faces as they realised that Ruby was standing there. The eight-year-old looked between them in confusion, before fixing her gaze on the tear-stained face of her mother. She took a hesitant step towards her, before stopping and glancing towards her grandmother instead.

"Ruby…" Ronnie tried to force a reassuring smile onto her face. Standing up abruptly, she walked towards her granddaughter and gently tugged on her ponytail affectionately. "Where's Granny?"

"Why's Mum crying?"

"She's just a bit–"

"Why would Dad want to take us away from Mum?"

"Ruby…"

"Are you ill? Has the cancer come back? Is that why you're crying and we're going to live with Dad? Are you going to die?" Ruby persisted, refusing to let them fob her off with lies or excuses.

"I'm absolutely fine, baby." Katy was on her feet in an instant, rushing towards her daughter and pulling her into her arms. "I promise, the doctor's said I'm fine. I'm doing well."

"So why…?"

Taking a deep breath, the blonde glanced at her mother, silently warning her not to speak. "Dad just… he loves you and he just… he wants to spend more time with you. But he's not going to take you away from me, OK?" She met Ruby's eyes and smiled at her. "I promise you, sweetie, everything's gonna be alright."

As soon as Ruby was convinced that Katy really was alright she headed back to her bedroom to carry on with her drawing. Sighing, Katy dropped heavily onto the sofa and put her head in her hands. For a couple of moments none of them spoke. Tina perched awkwardly on the arm of the sofa, not sure whether she should stay or not.

"He's not taking my kids away from me."

Both Ronnie and Tina jumped at the unexpected statement from Katy. They turned and looked at her as she raised her head, tilting her chin upward defiantly and moving a steady, determined glare between them.

"Of course he's not." Ronnie agreed at once. "We'll get onto Ritchie and we'll make sure he hasn't got a leg to stand on."

"I don't want… I don't want to spoil his relationship with the girls. They love him and I can't ruin that for them." Katy continued hesitantly. "But… they're _my_ daughters."

"Everyone knows that, sweetie. No one is going to let that happen."

Nodding abruptly, Katy stood up and took a steadying breath. Ronnie and Tina were stunned when she announced that she was going to sort her makeup out and then head back to work. Their attempts to argue with her and change her mind fell on deaf ears, both women giving up as they realised that there was nothing they could say to stop Katy heading to the club.

Exchanging a look with Ronnie, Tina silently signalled that she would keep an eye on her boss, before heading back to the R&R to make sure that there was no sign of Tyler and that nothing had happened in their absence.


	67. Chapter 67

"So… I hear you own this place? Is your name as pretty as your face?"

Katy snorted. "Terrible line. Who wants to know?"

"I'm Isaac… Sheree Truman's son."

"Katy Mitchell." He held out his hand to shake hers across the bar and Katy laughed, indulging him for a moment, before taking her hand back and placing it firmly on the closest pump. "What can I get you?"

"Just a lager… and maybe your number?"

She snorted again. "Do you know how many times a night I hear that?"

"Even in a gay bar?"

"Oh yeah, I get even more offers working here than I did in my last bar." She handed him his drink. "So, what brings you in here?"

"I heard the owner was fit."

"Really?" She grinned at him. "You're gonna keep this up for our whole conversation?"

"Definitely." Isaac smirked back. "Unless you agree to have a drink with me?"

"I don't think so."

"What? Oh… you run a gay bar, am I–?"

She laughed. "No, I'm straight. I just don't think it's a good idea. You live on the Square… that's way too complicated for me; too many strings."

"Trust me, I'm not looking for strings." He told her with a shrug. "I just think it would be a shame if you didn't give this," he motioned to himself, "a chance."

"Absolutely no strings?"

"No strings." He confirmed with a nod.

"Fine. You can buy me a drink but the second I see any hint of anything remotely resembling strings, I'm out."

Isaac beamed at her. Rolling her eyes at the self-satisfied smirk on his face, Katy shook her head and turned to face the optics as she poured herself a generous measure of vodka. Catching Tina's eyes, she let out a soft huff, before turning back to the young man lounging against the bar.

Since Tyler's announcement about wanting to get custody, Tina and Ronnie had both been keeping a very close eye on the young woman. Her ex hadn't made any more statements about his plans and, although she'd informed Ritchie of the conversation and his threats, Katy hadn't done anything either. She was starting to hope that Ronnie's assertions that he had just said whatever he thought would hurt her with no real intention of carrying it out.

"So, are you going to this boat party?"

Katy nodded, swallowing her mouthful before answering. "Yeah, I am. Are you?"

"Mum and Patrick got tickets, so I guess so." He agreed with a shrug. "I've never been to a boat party in this country."

"I've never been on a boat, full stop." She replied with a chuckle. "Not sure how I'm going to cope with it. Knowing my luck I'll get seasick."

Isaac chuckled. "I'll look after you, don't worry."

Snorting at his cockiness, she moved away for a moment to serve a couple of customers, keeping one eye on him at the same time. He had pulled out his phone and seemed to be scrolling; either through photos or messages she wasn't sure. For a moment or two her suspicious mind kicked in and she worried whether it wasn't all some trick cooked up by Tyler to give him ammunition for his custody case. Then she dismissed the thought, shaking her head and throwing herself into enjoying her shift like she normally did.

* * *

Katy glanced up as someone settled themselves in the seat opposite hers at her table in the café. She let out a quiet groan at the grin on Isaac's face, taking a long, fortifying sip of her coffee before he had the chance to make any comment on her appearance.

"How's the head this morning?"

"I swear to god if I ever hear the word Amaretto again…"

Isaac laughed. "That was definitely not my fault."

"Shouldn't you be at work or something?" Katy groused, wrapping her hands around her mug and frowning at him.

"Half term, init?" He reminded her. "Don't you have some kids getting under your feet?"

"Sleepover at my Dad's. He had them last night so that my Gran will have them for the boat party."

Isaac was clearly about to say something when there was a commotion and someone dropped heavily into the chair beside the blonde. Katy turned and fixed her aunt with a questioning look, noticing that Roxy looked incredibly flustered about something or other.

"I've been looking for you everywhere!" The older Mitchell exclaimed, looking a little put out by her niece's apparent illusiveness. "We need to hit the shops."

"Why?"

"I haven't got anything to wear tonight."

"Rox… your wardrobe is bigger than mine and the kids' put together. I'm sure you've got something you can–"

"No, no." She shook her head determinedly. "We need to go shopping anyway because you, little miss old-before-her-time, need something drop dead gorgeous to show off all your assets."

"Oh my god, Rox…" Katy put her head in her hands, totally mortified as Isaac snorted into his coffee. "Really?"

"Yes, really, now come on. You can catch up with your little friend later." Turning, as though only just noticing his presence, Roxy did a double take. "Oh, hello! Roxy Mitchell, I don't think we've met."

"Isaac Baptiste." He smiled toothily at her, shaking her outstretched hand. "Sheree Truman's son."

"Are you to blame for the state my niece is in this morning, then?" She asked with mock disapproval.

"Guilty." He held up his hands. "She's wild when she's had a few drinks."

"She takes after me." Roxy informed him, conspiratorially. Then she nudged Katy with her elbow. "Come on, up you get."

With a loud groan, sending Isaac an almost pleading look over her shoulder as Roxy pushed her out of the café, Katy gave in to the inevitable. Her aunt chattered non-stop as she almost dragged the younger blonde towards the tube station, barely pausing to draw breath and clearly not at all bothered that Katy wasn't actually listening to her. Before she knew it, let alone was able to do anything about it, they were settled in a train carriage heading for the High Street.

"I think you should get a dress."

Katy turned incredulous eyes on her aunt at the statement. "You what?"

"You _never_ wear dresses, so I think you should wear one to the boat party."

"You want me to get hypothermia?"

"Planning on jumping in the river, are you?"

"Course not. Don't be an idiot; it's still way too soon for drowning jokes, especially from you, Aunty Rox." Katy groused. "But surely its gonna be even colder on a boat than it is here. I'm still in recovery, if you remember?"

Roxy rolled her eyes. "Come off it, Katy. When it suits you there's absolutely nothing wrong with you."

"Yeah, well, still got cancer, ain't I?"

"Technically, no."

"Technically, yes. I ain't had the all clear just yet."

Letting out a long, drawn-out, over-dramatic sigh, the older blonde pouted at her niece. "Please, Katy. Wear a dress? Let your boring old aunty live vicariously through you?"

Katy snorted. "Old?"

"OK… old_er_."

"Also, I didn't realise you knew words like vicariously." She teased, already having given up on the idea of convincing Roxy against buying a dress. "I'm sort of impressed."

"Shut up, you."

"Well, are you paying, then, considering it's all your idea?"

Letting out a squeal of delight, realising that she'd won the battle with vary little resistance, Roxy dragged Katy into the nearest shop and set about finding the perfect outfit for the boat party.

* * *

Several hours later, they were back on the Square and getting ready for the boat party. Ronnie and Roxy were thoroughly immersing themselves in the party atmosphere, playing music and dancing around the flat with drinks, as they got ready. Grudgingly, Katy allowed herself to be dragged to her feet and twirled around by her aunt, laughing as Roxy pouted at the screen of her phone as she took a selfie of them.

"You look beautiful." Ronnie assured her daughter, swatting Katy's hands away as she tugged on the hem of her dress self-consciously. "Which jacket are you taking? You need to make sure you're warm enough."

"Eurgh, you two are so alike." Roxy muttered, rolling her eyes and throwing Katy's coat towards them. "Are you ready, 'cos we're gonna miss the bus."

"God forbid we'd miss the chance of a drink." Her sister replied sarcastically.

Exchanging a look with her daughter, Ronnie followed Roxy as she crashed her way through the door and down the stairs. They met the others on the corner outside the Vic, laughing as Tina took the can of lager out of Mo's hand before practically pushing her up the steps onto the bus. Grinning excitedly, the brunette squeezed her friend's arm as the three Mitchell women headed for their seats.

"'Ere, want one?" Mo leant over the back of the seat, offering a couple of cans to the three blondes sitting in the back row. "Just don't mention it to Tina… she keeps trying to get 'em off me."

"Cheers!" Roxy accepted the lagers on all their behalves, cracking hers open and taking a long gulp.


	68. Chapter 68

Katy's suspicions that the boat party would be absolutely freezing were proved correct. The second they stepped off the bus at the dock, she shivered, pulling her coat more tightly around her. Noticing the anxious look Ronnie was sending in her direction, the younger blonde shot her mother a reassuring smile and tried to tune in to what the captain of the boat was saying.

Her eyes wandered across the group to where Jack and Denise were standing together a little way off. She knew that her mother was watching them, tension rolling off her in waves as they watched the couple. Jack chuckled at something Denise had said, leaning down to accept the kiss she pressed to the corner of his mouth.

Reaching out, Katy squeezed Ronnie's hand gently, silently warning her not to cause a scene at the moment. She could think of far less dramatic and unpleasant places to bring up the subject of her parents' affair and the idea of it all coming to light while they were trapped on a boat on the Thames was not something she was willing to entertain. Katy was already starting to get the feeling that perhaps spending the evening on a floating prison – as she was considering it at the moment – was not for her. World War Three breaking out because of her parents was not something that would improve the situation.

"Free bar everybody, downstairs on the party deck!" Tina shouted.

Roxy immediately grasped Ronnie and Katy by their hands and dragged them down in the direction Tina had indicated. Laughing, Katy allowed herself to be pulled through the crowds towards the bar, nodding as the barman offered her a glass of Prosecco. She nudged Ronnie in the ribs, frowning a little as she realised that her gaze was directed towards Jack and Denise again.

"Come on, try and enjoy yourself, Mum." She muttered, liberating another couple of glasses and pushing one into the older blonde's hand. "Take a leaf out of Rox's book."

They both watched the younger of the sisters cackling with Kat, the pair of them necking vodka straight from the bottle. Laughing, Ronnie indicated that Katy should go and enjoy herself, propelling her daughter in the direction of Bex and Dotty. Looking back the way she'd come, Katy watched as Ronnie approached Jack and spoke to him for a moment, before her father glanced over his shoulder and they left the cabin together.

When she turned back round, Bex and Dotty were nowhere to be seen, but Tina and Whitney held out their hands and called her over. Beaming at them, Katy allowed herself to be whirled around by the older woman, giggling as she collapsed into Tina's arms unsteadily.

"So!" Linda, shouting into a microphone that she had found from somewhere, slurring her words alarmingly, caught everyone's attention. "Here we all are, celebrating our fabulous pub, the Queen Victoria! As you all know, we won Pub of the Year and this was mainly thanks to an event that we put on called the Ball and Change, which is ironic, really–"

"We just want to thank you all, really, for coming and uhh…" Mick started, taking the microphone from his wife quickly, "for being the best punters a landlord could ever wish for."

The blonde pulled the microphone back towards herself, not even acknowledging that he had spoken. "Because, little did I know that my husband would take the idea literally and end up swapping me for that slapper over there!"

All eyes turned on Whitney, following Linda's accusing finger. Katy furrowed her eyebrows, wondering whether it could possibly be true. She knew her friend had been having a tough time, but she was sure that Whitney would have mentioned having an affair with her ex-father-in-law.

"That's right!" Linda continued into the stunned silence. "They're having an affair."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Mick snapped as Whitney shook her head in disbelief.

"Go on, then, deny it."

"You're drunk!"

"Don't mean it ain't true." Linda reasoned. "I mean, look at her. Look at her face! Look how guilty she looks."

As Whitney turned and pushed her way through the crowd, Katy shoved her glass towards her mother and rushed after her, barely hearing the argument continuing behind her. She made her way unsteadily up onto the top deck, guessing that it was the only place Whitney could possibly have got to.

Spotting her standing right at the edge, beside the railings, Katy tugged her coat more tightly around her and crossed the deck to stand beside the younger woman. She had laid a hand gently on her arm before she realised what Whitney was holding limply in her hand.

"Whit…?"

"I killed him, Katy…"

"Killed who, babe?"

"Leo… I… I killed him."

"What are you talking about?" The blonde frowned, her eyes flicking between her friend's face and the knife in her hand.

"He… he was in the house. He came at me. He tried to kill me. I didn't… he fell on the knife."

"OK… so it was self-defence." Katy nodded quickly, not needing to hear any more as her mind turned over what they needed to do next. "Where is it?"

"What?"

"The body."

Whitney shuddered. "It… he's in the kitchen. I just… I left him there."

"You did the right thing." Katy assured her quickly. "Sonia's away, right? Dotty and Bex are here. Martin?"

"Out with mates, I think."

"Good. That means no one will find the body before we get back. As soon as we get back to the Square, I'll deal with it, Whit, OK?"

"I'll be in prison until I'm fifty… Katy, I can't…"

The blonde squeezed her arm tightly. "Whit, I'll sort it. It's gonna be fine. _You're_ gonna be fine."

"Katy… Mick knows."

The blonde swore under her breath, turning away for a moment and looking out over the water. Then she nodded again. "That's OK. It's fine. He ain't gonna say anything, is he?"

"I…"

"You alright, Whit?" Both of them jumped at the sound of Jack's voice. "What you doing out here? It's freezing!" He met Katy's eyes, shooting her a questioning look when the younger of the two women didn't turn to face him. "Listen, don't worry about Linda. She's just… you know, she's off on one, ain't she. I wanted to come out here myself for a bit of peace and quiet. Whitney? Has something happened?"

"Dad… I've got this." Katy told him forcefully, suddenly concerned that he might catch sight of the knife in Whitney's hand. "She's fine."

"Nah… why?"

"Well you're shaking. What's the matter with ya?" He pressed, ignoring his daughter's words. His eyes fell on the weapon, before flickering quickly towards Katy. "What are you doing with a knife?"

"It's just–" Katy started, relieved when a voice from behind them stole the focus away from her.

"Oh, there it is. You've got it." Mick approached casually from inside, his eyes fixed on Whitney. "The knife… for the cake? We're gonna need that in a minute, babe."

Watching Whitney's face as Jack exhaled with relief and Mick started cracking jokes about his obvious concern, Katy's hands tightened around the wooden rail. She chewed her lip, her focus shifting out across the water to the lights reflecting on the surface.

"I couldn't have a couple of minutes with Whitney, could I?" Mick requested, looking between the father and daughter.

"Yeah, course." Jack nodded, smiling at his great-niece warmly. "Should probably get this one in out of the wind, anyway."

Katy rolled her eyes at him, but allowed herself to be propelled inside anyway. Jack chattered about nothing in particular as he led her over to the bar, ordering them both a drink. She barely listened to anything he was saying, sipping thoughtfully at her drink.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine." She sighed. "Just… look, you and Mum ain't exactly sly, you know? I don't exactly fancy getting caught up in the fallout when everyone works it out."

"What?"

"Sneaking off to have sex in the toilets or wherever you were?"

"Katy!"

"I mean it, Dad… you need to sort out what you're gonna do or we're all gonna suffer." She shrugged. "You know I want you and Mum back together, but I like Denise and she ain't stupid. She's gonna realise what's going on if you carry on like this."

"I'll sort it."

Shaking her head, Katy took her drink and stalked over to the other side of the cabin. She spotted her mother and aunt dancing with Kat, Kush, Mo and Tracey, but didn't feel like joining them.

Tina tried to beckon her over, but she shook her head and moved to sit in one of the booths along the outside of the dance floor. Thoughtfully, she wondered what the best thing to do to help Whitney was. She knew what her first choice would be, but if it really was self-defence – and considering Leo had been stalking her for ages – perhaps playing it straight was the right course of action. It didn't come naturally to Katy, but she knew that Whitney was a much better person than she was.

"I got you a drink."

"It's a free bar." Katy pointed out with a smirk, arching an eyebrow as she took the drink that was being held in her direction anyway.

Isaac grinned, settling himself on the padded bench beside her and flinging an arm casually along the back of the booth. Katy arched an eyebrow at the move, unable to stop the smirk twisting at the corners of her lips as he simply shrugged innocently. They stared at each other for a moment, before Isaac raised his glass to his lips and downed the liquid in one gulp. Unable to resist a challenge, Katy mirrored him, wincing slightly as the vodka burnt its way down her throat.

When the young man leant in, his hand finding its way onto her thigh, Katy placed both of hers on his face and kissed him with just as much enthusiasm as he was kissing her. She knew that it was probably a terrible idea, but in that moment she couldn't bring herself to care. As the hand on her leg moved up to her waist, pulling her closer, Katy shifted so that she was straddling his lap, knees either side of his hips.

Pulling back, she tilted her head to one side and smirked. "Fancy finding somewhere a bit quieter?"


	69. Chapter 69

"Katherine Mitchell!"

Huffing irritably, Katy smoothed down her dress as she slipped back into the main room, annoyed at being caught. "What?"

"Where have you been? This isn't the time to be sneaking off–"

"You can talk, mother."

Ronnie furrowed her eyebrows in slight confusion for a moment, before grasping her daughter by the arm and tugging her to the side. "Stop it. You're making a show of yourself."

"Leave it out." Katy muttered. "I bet you haven't had a go at Dad for smacking Max in front of everyone, have you?"

"What your father gets up to is nothing to do with me."

The younger blonde snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Can we talk for a minute?" Patrick requested politely, appearing beside them and attracting Isaac's attention away from the blondes.

"There's nothing to say."

Katy suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable, feeling as though she were intruding on something private that she shouldn't be a part of. Clearing her throat, she motioned that she would leave them to it, nudging her mother to walk away as well, but Isaac shook his head and signalled for her to sit down. Ronnie rolled her eyes and stalked away, moving to lean against the bar bad-temperedly.

"You know what, I've had it up to here with you. You've been jumping down my throat all day." Patrick announced.

"You're just no different from the rest of her blokes!" Isaac told him with a shrug.

"You know what? This isn't just a fling, you know. Me and your mother… we are connected, the same as you and me."

"Patrick? What are you saying?"

As Isaac's mother appeared, Katy stood and strode away quickly, not wanting to get caught up in a domestic. She had enough trouble with her own family and had absolutely no interest in getting stuck in the middle of another one.

Her mind wandered back to the problems Whitney was facing. She pointedly avoided meeting anyone's eyes as she skirted the dance floor in search of her friend but, before she could get very far, a thunderous bang filled the air and the floor moved underneath her feet. The boat was thrown violently to one side, suddenly listing dangerously at an angle. She stumbled, grasping onto the arm that had reached out to steady her.

"What the hell was that?"

"We've hit an iceberg!" Mo wailed dramatically.

"I think we must've hit something serious, man." Patrick added.

Katy nodded, smiling weakly as Isaac tightened his arm around her waist, silently asking whether she was alright. Her eyes swept over the rest of the room, noticing that Jack had instinctively rushed towards Ronnie, checking that she wasn't hurt. Katy's gaze quickly sought out Denise, realising that she, too, had noticed what her boyfriend's first instincts were.

"Katy?" Roxy lurched towards her unsteadily, grasping onto her niece for support. "What the fuck was that?"

"No idea."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please may I have your attention?" The captain requested as Dancing Queen was cut short and a tense silence fell over the cabin.

"I hope you're the flaming stripper." Mo called out, the fear evident in her tone.

"What's happened?"

"No need to panic, but there has been an incident in the wheelhouse," he continued, ignoring their comments, "and we all need to evacuate the boat immediately."

"You and your sodding drowning jokes," Katy muttered at her aunt, "bloody tempting fate left, right and centre."

Roxy pouted at her. "Hey! This ain't my fault."

"Incident? I thought I heard a gunshot." Tina announced, panic obvious in her tone.

"Yeah, I did!"

"An incident? What sort of incident? What? Are we sinking?"

"Kat! Can you believe this? Where's Leo DiCaprio when you need him?"

"This has got to be some sort of sick joke, right?" Katy asked, looking around in disbelief.

"The RNLI has been called, but for now we need to get everybody off at once." The captain told them firmly.

"You must be joking!"

"Oh, no, shush, Mo!" Denise ordered, something more than panic in her tone. Her eyes flickered back to Jack and Ronnie once more, the pair still standing incredibly close together.

"Could everybody please remain calm and move towards the top deck? There will be life rafts available, which we will be evacuating from. Members of my crew will be on hand to assist you. Thank you."

As they were ushered towards the exit, Katy broke free of Isaac's hand on the small of her back and pushed through the people trying to leave the cabin. She didn't care that she was receiving questing looks and comments as she headed in the opposite direction to everyone else, dodging the grasp of anyone who seemed to be trying to stop her.

"Whit?" She called out, gazing around desperately for her friend. "Whit? Where are you?"

She pushed through people and doors alike, calling for her friend and ignoring the blaring of the alarm. There was no way she was leaving the younger woman behind. Katy would never forgive herself if she got on the life raft and something happened to Whitney; she'd been a terrible enough friend as it was, especially recently.

As the water started rising higher and higher, Katy started feeling desperate. There was still no sign of her friend and she knew that time was running out. If she stayed below deck searching for much longer, Katy knew that she was going to be in serious trouble.

"Whitney?" She called out again, straining her ears for any hint as to where she might be.

Just as Katy was considering that perhaps Whitney had got past her and was above deck somewhere, or even in one of the life rafts, there was an ominous rumbling sound. Turning, she was just in time to see a great surge of water sweeping around the corner ahead and rushing towards her along the corridor. Before she could even take a breath, let alone think about moving, she felt the pressure crashing into her and sweeping her off her feet.

The confused swirling of rushing water buffeted her around as though she was a rag doll, throwing her into the walls on either side of her and, for a couple of minutes, Katy fought against it to no avail. Desperately she scrabbled for something to grab hold of, anything that would give her some control over the situation. Finally, her hand closed around the metal railing of the staircase that led upwards and she used all of her strength to drag herself up towards the deck.

"Oh my god!"

Two bodies barged into her on either side, grasping and tugging her to a standing position while she tried to catch her breath. Desperate fingers combed through her hair, pulling her into a tight hug. Someone else rubbed roughly at her with a blanket, apparently fighting a losing battle to get her warm and dry.

"Katy! Where the hell have you been?" Ronnie demanded tearfully, pulling her daughter into yet another hug. "We thought… we couldn't find you anywhere. We looked and looked…"

"We thought we were going to lose you." Roxy agreed, wrapping her arms around her niece as well. "They wanted us to get on the life raft, but we said we wouldn't leave without you."

"What happened, darlin'?" Jack demanded, pulling her away from the blondes and into his arms.

"Whit… where's Whit?"

"Whit? Was she down there with you?" He looked at her seriously. "Katy?"

She shook her head in confusion. "I don't… I don't know. No, I don't think so. I couldn't find her. I was looking for her and then… all this water knocked me off my feet. I thought… I thought I was going to…"

"You're OK, baby." Ronnie assured her, hugging her tightly again. "You're safe."

"But Whit…"

"You need to get on the raft, now." A member of the crew commanded them.

"We can't leave without her!" Katy told them agitatedly.

"You need to go, now." The crewmember repeated, ushering them towards the raft.

"But–"

"She'll be OK." Jack assured his daughter firmly, pushing her down the ladder and onto the raft, helping Ronnie and then Roxy to follow. "Whit will be fine."

"Whit!"

There was still no sign of her as they started floating away from the ship. Tina, sitting beside Katy, was just as agitated as the young blonde, calling out for Mick. Denise joined in, calling out to Patrick, the whole atmosphere tense and terrified as they bobbed on the water.

"They could be on another raft." Denise tried reassuring everyone, herself included.

"He can't swim very well." Tina sobbed as Roxy wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"He'll have a life jacket, won't he?" Max told her, not very convincingly.

"Is that… Keanu?" Denise pointed out a figure being hauled out of the water by the lifeboat crew.

"Why is he…?"

"Jack!" Max pointed to someone else in the water.

"It's Ben." Jack moved to the edge of the raft and started leaning out, reaching for the young man in the river.

As Denise tried to caution her boyfriend and Ronnie and Roxy attempted to stop Katy helping him, Jack and Max managed to haul Ben into the raft. The rescue seemed to make the brothers realise that life was too short, that their relationship was more important and they embraced tightly for a moment.

"Ben?" Katy peered down at him, realising that something was wrong as he gasped and writhed slightly on the bottom of the boat. "Ben? What's wrong?"

He simply stared blankly up at her, shaking his head and struggling to forced breath into his lungs. Pulling her daughter away, Ronnie motioned for Roxy to sit with Ben while she held Katy in her arms and sobbed tears of relief into her hair.

The noise of the boats, the screeching of the sirens and the flashing blue lights were doing nothing to diffuse the tension. The panic was prominent in the air as everyone worried for the fate of the others who'd been at the party with them. No one knew who else had been rescued and who might be in danger and that, in itself, was almost more frightening than their current state bobbing along, apparently aimlessly and endlessly, in the cold and dark.

"Mum… where's Whit? If something's happened to her I'll never forgive myself…"

Ronnie said nothing, but pulled her daughter more firmly against her, tucking Katy's head under her chin and rocking her gently.

Finally, they reached the dock, apparently the last but one raft to reach safety, where they were pulled up onto solid ground. Katy screamed with relief as she saw Whitney, pulling herself free of her mother and sprinting towards her. She threw her arms around the younger woman and ran her hands through Whitney's hair soothingly. The brunette clung on tightly, both of them crying in relief.

A couple of moments passed, before they pulled back at Jack's shout that Mick was on the last raft. Katy moved forwards to look over the railings, before Ben, standing beside one of the ambulances and looking incredibly confused, caught her attention. She had just taken a couple of steps towards him, when Jack pushed past in the direction she'd just walked.

"You need to arrest me." Whitney was saying. Katy's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach and she leapt forward to try and stop what was about to happen. "Look, I know it's bad timing but… I killed someone. He's on my kitchen floor."

"Shut up!" Katy hissed at her, before turning to the police officer. "Don't listen to her… she banged her head pretty hard. I mean, look at her! Does she look remotely as though she's in any state to be reliable at the moment?"

"Katy, it's fine… I have to do this."

"No… Whit... don't…" Katy tried to argue with her, a hand on her arm pulling her back and lowering her arm so that the officer wouldn't hear. "You don't need to. I said I'd sort it."

There was no time for anything else before Whitney stepped forward and was led away, leaving Katy and Jack staring after her. Before the blonde could even think about arguing or repeating her assertions to the police that Whitney didn't know what she was saying, Ronnie appeared and pulled her towards an ambulance.

"I'm fine." Katy tried to tell them, but no one would listen.

Ronnie had explained about her cancer and transplant and the paramedics were taking no chances. They had her in the back of an ambulance and hooked up to an IV before she knew what was happening. No arguments had any effect and, although she felt like a fraud considering she was sure there were people in worse situations than she was, Katy couldn't stop them whisking her into a hospital bed and running all sorts of precautionary tests.


	70. Chapter 70

"I told you I was fine." Katy muttered irritably as she and Ronnie made their way through the hospital corridors the next day.

"It wasn't worth taking the risk." Her mother repeated for about the tenth time. "I wasn't going to lose you, Katy."

They both paused, thinking about Dennis. Roxy had been in to break the news about his death the evening before, as soon as she'd been allowed onto her niece's ward. Katy may have thought that the teenager was a spoiled brat and had always hated spending any time in his company, but she would have never wished his fate on him.

"Come on, the kids are really looking forward to seeing you." Ronnie told her gently. "Mum's beyond relieved… I think she's cleaned every inch of the flat twice."

Sighing deeply, the younger blonde shook her head. "What's happening with Whit?"

"I'm not sure, sweetie. Your dad was seeing what he could find out and I think they're hoping to persuade Gray to represent her."

"It's not right, Mum. She doesn't deserve this after everything he did to her. If only I'd–"

"If only you'd _what_?" Ronnie demanded. She pulled her daughter to the side of the corridor, lowering her voice. "Katy, please don't tell me you mean what I _think_ you mean?"

"Whit asked me to help her… she asked me to do something to get rid of him. I should have just…" She shook her head. "I was so busy… I was caught up in work and the kids and Tyler coming back and making threats… Whit needed me and I wasn't there."

"I'm glad you weren't." Wide-eyed, her mother shook her head. "You're not some killer for hire, Katy. You're not. Carl was an accident; you were protecting me. It wasn't… it was an _accident_."

Her daughter nodded slowly, before turning and meeting Ronnie's eyes with a blank stare. "Possibly. But Nathan wasn't. Or Dean."

"Dean?"

Katy laughed mirthlessly, before turning and continuing along the corridor. The older woman stared after her for a long moment, considering what her confession could have meant. It was only when the swinging doors clattered behind Katy that Ronnie forced herself to move again.

"Dean as in…"

"Ruby's uncle, yeah." Katy shrugged casually. "He came sniffing around, asking questions about Nathan, wanting to be part of Ruby's life. He took her… collected her from school and took her. Dad and Phil were useless; worse than useless, in fact. I had to deal with him myself." She frowned. "Ben helped me."

"Ben? But–?"

"Ben… is he OK? There was something wrong with him last night."

"Callum's missing." Ronnie said hurriedly. "What happened?"

"I don't know… something when the boat crashed, I guess. I didn't even think Ben was at the party."

"I meant, what happened with Dean."

"He messed with the wrong person." Katy told her darkly, pushing through the next set of doors.

"Katy–"

"I don't wanna talk about it." She snapped.

"Katy, you can't just–"

"Katy?"

Both Mitchells turned at the sound of the male voice calling her name. A slightly confused smile twisted Katy's lips as she saw who was greeting her, before taking several steps forward. A second passed before she felt herself being gathered in strong arms and pulled into a bear hug.

"Peter? Oh my god! What are you doing here?" She almost laughed at the sight of him. "Lauren never said you were all coming home?"

He looked a little awkward at her words. "Lauren and Louie aren't here… just me."

"Oh… oh, I'm sorry."

"Were you involved in this boat thing?" Peter asked, evidently keen on changing the subject. "Dad was brought in here last night. Bobby was beaten up so me and Gran were already here when he arrived."

"Bobby? What? Why? Are they OK?"

He nodded slowly. "They will be."

Katy studied him for a moment. "Are you OK? Must be really tough coming back here."

Peter shrugged, not needing to hear his twin sister's name to know what she meant. "I guess."

Ronnie cleared her throat, smiling warmly at the young man, before turning to her daughter. "We should get going; they'll be expecting us."

"I want to go to the police station and see Whitney." Katy informed her bluntly.

"There's no point yet." Her mother tried to soothe her. "Whitney doesn't want to see anyone and they probably wouldn't let you anyway."

"I don't care. I have to try."

"Whitney?" Peter looked between them, frowning. "What's wrong with Whitney?"

"She's admitted to murder…" Katy sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Tony King's son's been stalking her… threatened her. He attacked her and ended up falling on a knife. She should have let me deal with it. I _said_ I'd sort it."

Ronnie shot Peter a wary glance. "You couldn't have scared him or paid him off. He wouldn't have taken the money or gone."

Knowing that Ronnie was well aware that wasn't what she'd meant at all, Katy merely shrugged. She smiled at Peter, told him to come and find her if he went back to the Square and then turned and continued along the corridor. Ronnie sighed and stalked after her, sure that she wouldn't get any peace until Katy had found out for herself that they wouldn't let her see Whitney.

* * *

"Where've you been?"

Letting out a long, irritable huff, Katy shot Tyler a derisive look and carried on restocking the bar. "We ain't open yet."

"Katy, I'm serious." He tried again. "You went to that boat party, didn't you? You left the kids with Glenda and spent last night god knows where with god knows who."

"I'm so glad you know the answers to your own questions without waiting for me to say anything."

"So I'm right?"

"No, you're not bloody right." She snapped. "Although I honestly don't see what business it is of yours if I did. The kids were absolutely fine with Gran and I'm allowed a night off every now and then."

"So where were you, then?"

"I was in hospital, Tyler, if you must know!" Katy shouted, slapping both palms down on the bar and scowling at him. "The bloody boat sank and my step-cousin drowned. Almost all my family and friends were on that fucking boat when it went down! Dennis drowned and Whit's been arrested and I don't have time for your fucking childish whining at the moment."

He peered at her, blinking several times in surprise. "The boat went down? Are you OK? Why were you in hospital?"

"I'm fine." Suddenly she looked and sounded exhausted. "I'm alive." Turning back to the 'fridges, she exhaled sharply. "What d'you want?"

"I wondered if I could take the kids bowling or something?"

Katy shrugged, her back still turned. "It would probably be good for them to get out for a while. The atmosphere isn't exactly great at the moment."

"So it's OK?"

"Of course."

The door opened and closed again, neither of them turning to see who had entered the bar. Katy assumed it was probably Kathy or Tina arriving to start work or her mother trying to persuade her – yet again – to go and see Sharon, while Tyler didn't seem to care very much at that moment.

"Oh, sorry…"

At the sound of Isaac's voice, Katy whirled round. She didn't need him to say anything incriminating and give Tyler any more ammunition against her. His smile dropped a little at the expression on her face, but as Isaac's eyes drifted over to Tyler he seemed to realise that there was something that he didn't understand hanging in the air between them.

"You alright, mate?" Holding out his hand in Tyler's direction he grinned broadly. "Isaac."

"Tyler."

"I was thinking we could grab some lunch?" He suggested, pushing his hands in his pockets. "My shout."

"Yeah… yeah, OK." Katy agreed decisively. Her eyes flicked towards Tyler and her expression hardened. "Sorry, Tyler, I'm gonna have to lock up. I'll text Mum and let her know you're coming to get the kids; I'm assuming you're gonna take Matthew as well as the girls."

"Of course." Tyler replied instantly. "I wouldn't leave him out."

With a tight smile, Katy ushered both men towards the door, locking it behind her. As she and Isaac headed towards the Vic, she fired off two quick texts; one to Ronnie informing her of the plan and the other to Kathy to explain why the R&R would be locked when she arrived. Katy could feel Tyler's eyes boring into the back of her head as she pushed her phone into her back pocket and turned to give Isaac her full attention, deliberately smiling much more brightly at him than she normally would have done.

Slipping through the door that Isaac held open for her, Katy was immediately aware of the tense, sombre atmosphere in the pub. Jack, Max and Denise were sitting at one of the tables, the elder Branning brother in the middle. It was obvious that something had gone on between the couple, with Denise barely looking at Jack, and Katy wondered whether she had been correct in thinking that the woman's suspicions about her parents relationship had been raised by their behaviour at the party.

"You sit down, I'll get us a couple of menus." Isaac offered. "Well… I'll check if they're doing food first. We might have to go somewhere else."

Nodding in understanding, Katy settled herself at a table, shooting Mick a small smile as he nodded in greeting. She guessed that people were wondering whether she knew anything about Whitney's situation; probably wondering about Dennis and Sharon as well. As her friend was still refusing to let her visit and she hadn't been able to bring herself to go and see the older blonde, Katy really had nothing to say on either matter.

"Everyone, can I have a quick word?" Mick requested as Isaac slid onto the bench with their drinks, barely raising his voice. It was testament to the solemn atmosphere in the pub that anyone heard him. "I just wanna apologise for the… for the boat. It was supposed to be a celebration… it was supposed to be something special. You know, something that we'd never forget."

"What happened on the boat was… there really aren't any words." Linda added, looking rougher than Katy had ever seen her. Clearly the effects of how much she'd drunk the night before were making themselves known. "Horrific… tragic… senseless… don't really cover it, does it? But if we can take anything good from it, and god knows right now that seems impossible, it's to appreciate the ones we love, hold them that bit closer and let them know every day that they're loved."

Mick raised his glass in toast to Dennis and everyone followed suit. Isaac squeezed Katy's knee sympathetically as she took a long drink from hers, shaking her head slightly and sending him a weak smile in response.


	71. Chapter 71

Lola had messaged Katy on Sunday evening to say that Callum was still missing and Ben was really struggling. Knowing that things were really tough for them, Katy had offered to do the school run for her the following week. It was her way of showing support without actively getting involved in whatever was happening.

On Monday morning she had bundled the children out of the flat – picking up Amy, Ricky and Lexi on the way – and herded them towards Walford Primary. Thankfully they managed to get there in one piece, excited about seeing their friends and exchanging gossip. Katy had already laid down the law about what they were and weren't allowed to say about the events of the boat party and Dennis' death. Ricky was quieter than usual, but the others didn't seem to have fully taken in the fact that they were never going to see him again. Katy was worried that Ronnie and Roxy's 'death' and then reappearance might have confused them more than they'd initially thought.

Pulling Ruby and Ricky's teacher aside when she dropped them off, she gave her a quick overview of the situation, requesting that she passed it on to other members of staff who might need to keep an eye on the children. Katy was wary of saying that they might play up, but she knew that it was a possibility and didn't want them to get into trouble unnecessarily.

"Katy?" Alex jogged towards her on the playground, concern written all over his face. "I've been trying to get hold of you all weekend. Are you OK? Weren't you going to that boat party?"

"Yeah… yeah, I went." She sighed, pushing her hands into her pockets and shrugging. "It was… possibly more terrifying than it sounded. My step-cousin… he was the kid that died… Dennis."

"Oh, god. I'm so sorry."

Apparently not knowing what else to say, Alex pulled her into a tight hug, wrapping her in his arms and resting his chin on the top of her head. Katy squeezed her eyes closed, fisting her hands into the back of his coat and clinging on. Somehow it was more comforting than any of the hugs she'd had from people who'd been in the situation with her.

"Come on… let's go and grab a coffee. The caf on Bridge Street?"

Nodding slowly, Katy trudged through the gates and along the road. She didn't know what to say and, apparently neither did Alex, so they walked in silence.

When she went to order their coffees, Kathy excitedly told her that Peter had agreed to stay in Walford for a couple of nights, explaining that her grandson had told her they'd bumped into each other at the hospital. Forcing herself to smile, she told her business partner how pleased she was, before Kathy rushed away to meet her son and Katy carried the coffees over to her table.

They chatted for a while, deliberately keeping the conversation away from topics that Katy didn't want to talk about. She briefly considered whether she was being fair to him and that perhaps she was leading him on. It wasn't intentional; she really did just want a friend, particularly one who was removed enough to not be involved in any of the drama that went on on the Square. Then Alex offered to get more coffees and she dismissed the thought from her mind.

"Hey!"

Katy frowned up at the clock as Isaac dropped into the recently vacated chair opposite hers. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Inset day; I don't start until tomorrow."

"It's alright for some, init?" She teased lightly. "Some of us work everyday."

"Yeah, yeah… wanna grab some lunch to make up for it?"

"I'm actually having coffee with a mate at the moment." Katy replied quickly, glancing over to where Alex was talking to Marie by the counter.

"Ahh, a _mate_, is it?" Isaac chuckled, following her gaze. "So it's not just the ex who's competition?"

Katy rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt. "Alex is a mate and Tyler is _not_ competition. Besides, I thought this was easy, no strings. Why would you make it–?"

"I'm kidding." He assured her with a cheeky grin. "Nah, you enjoy your coffee date… maybe we can get drinks later?"

"On a school night?"

"I'll behave if you do."

Laughing, Katy accepted the kiss on her cheek he bestowed as he left, turning to watch him walk out. Her eyes fell on Alex, watching the exchange, although he quickly forced a smile onto his face and made his way through the tables towards her. She exhaled sharply, expecting some questions about Isaac, but nothing came.

"So, what are your lot dressing up as for World Book Day?" Alex asked once he was settled. "Charlie's desperate to go as a Pokémon."

"How would you even manage that?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows. Then she shrugged. "Costumes are Gran's department to be honest… I didn't even know they needed one. She's probably got them all organised and sorted already."

"Katy?"

"Peter!" Standing up, she hugged him tightly. "You alright? How's Bobby?"

"He's home… he's gonna be OK."

"That's great. I bet everyone's relieved."

"Yeah… look, d'you fancy a drink later?"

"Over the Vic? About five?"

Nodding, Peter squeezed her upper arm for a minute, before turning and heading outside. Katy settled herself in her seat, raising her mug to her lips and sending Alex an almost challenging look. He watched her for a long moment, before setting his mug on the table and leaning back in his chair.

"So…"

"Peter is an old mate, Isaac is a new mate and Tyler is history." She replied irritably. "Look, I told you before, Alex; you and me? We're friends, nothing else."

"Did I say differently?"

"No, but you obviously _thought_ differently considering the look on your face."

"OK, maybe I hoped that you'd change your mind, but–"

"I'm sorry." Katy shook her head. "You're a really, really nice guy, Alex. You deserve so much better than me. Trust me, I'd just end up hurting you."

"That's just–"

"It's the truth. I can't help myself. I always, always hit the self-destruct button and, even if I didn't, no one will ever come before my family." She stood up, chewing her lip. "I'm sorry."

Taking a deep breath, she made her way out of the café without looking backwards. She felt terrible, the crushed expression on Alex's face made her feel like the worst person alive, but she knew she had to be cruel to be kind. It would have been far worse if she'd carried on letting him believe that she might change her mind about what she wanted from him.

Pulling out her mobile, she selected a number and held it to her ear. "Isaac? I've changed my mind. I don't fancy lunch, so come straight up to my office, yeah? No one will be in for a while yet."

* * *

A knock on the office door made Katy jump. She paused in redoing her hair, glancing towards the sound before doing a final makeup check in the mirror and making sure that her shirt was buttoned up properly. Isaac had only just gone, so Katy guessed that it might be him coming back to find something he'd left behind. A cursory glance around the room didn't offer any obvious explanation, but she opened the door and smirked out anyway.

"Can I have a word?"

The smirk melted from her face in an instant as she realised that it was Denise in the doorway. "Uhhh? Yeah?"

"Expecting someone else, were you?" She asked, clearly unimpressed.

"What? No?"

Denise made a sound in her throat as though she didn't believe her in the slightest. "I need you to be straight with me, Katy."

"I'm telling you–"

"Not about that." The older woman shook her head, pushing the office door closed behind her. "About your parents."

Katy tensed, guessing where the conversation was heading. "What about them? I haven't seen Dad since yesterday and Mum since this morning."

"Are they having an affair?"

The silence that followed her question was deafening. Katy felt sick at the expression on Denise's face as she waited impatiently for the younger woman to answer. It wasn't an easy choice to make; she could tell the truth and make her own life simpler or she could lie and prevent her parents from having to deal with the consequences of their actions.

"I don't know, Denise." She said finally. "Sorry, I don't. They're hardly likely to tell me if they're sneaking around having sex, are they? I'm already pretty damaged, ain't I?"

"But you think they might be?"

Again Katy didn't reply immediately. Apparently that was enough to convince Denise that her suspicions were at least a little bit confirmed. She stared at the blonde for a couple of moments, while Katy attempted to work out what to say, before nodding determinedly and stalking out of the office.

Swearing under her breath, Katy hunted for her mobile – finally locating it between the cushions on the sofa – and dialling her mother's number.

"Mum! Denise knows." She informed her hastily, not bothering with pleasantries. "She came to the office and asked if you and Dad were having an affair. I didn't tell her anything, but I think that was more of a confession than actually admitting to it."

"What?" Ronnie breathed, sounding shaken. "Shit! Have you spoken to Jack?"

"Not yet… wasn't sure if you'd want to?"

"Well it'll hardly look innocent if she's with him and I'm ringing, will it?"

Exhaling sharply, Katy had to admit that she was right. She ended the call and tried to get hold of her father. Jack either wasn't or couldn't answer his phone; a realisation that filled her with dread. Chewing on her thumbnail, Katy made up her mind and headed out of the office.

"I wanna talk to you." Tyler accosted her as she left the bar. "What's going on with you and that Isaac guy?"

"I haven't got time for this." She snapped, pulling her arm free and rushing away in the direction of the Square.


	72. Chapter 72

Denise was already at the house when Katy arrived. She glanced over at the blonde, clearly angry and unimpressed that she had interrupted her conversation with Jack. He, for his part, didn't seem to realise that he was about to be ambushed with questions about his potential relationship with Ronnie. Looking between the two women, obviously sensing the tension between them, he raised a hand to rub the back of his neck nervously.

"Denise… I didn't mean to…" Katy swallowed thickly. "Look, when you came to the bar you were right… I _was_ expecting someone else. I wasn't… I didn't mean to give you the idea that I thought…"

"What's going on?" Jack demanded, looking between them thoroughly confused.

"I asked Katy if you and Ronnie were having an affair." Denise told him bluntly.

Jack rounded on his daughter furiously. "And you said we were?"

"No!" She shook her head, turning back to the older woman. "I didn't."

"No, she didn't," Denise acknowledged reluctantly, "but she weren't exactly convincing. You didn't deny it, did you?"

"I said I didn't know! I _don't_ know, but I'm sure I would. Mum can't hide things from me."

Scoffing, Denise shook her head. "You as good as told me they were at it! You couldn't wait to get me out of there so you could warn them."

"No!" Katy shook her head quickly, glancing in Jack's direction and seeing the confusion and concern in his eyes. "That's not why I was… look, I was worried you might…"

"Oh, just spit it out!"

"I've been sleeping with Isaac, OK?" Katy blurted, already anticipating their reactions. "We'd just… well, he'd just left and I thought maybe he'd come back while you were there. We didn't… _I _didn't… want anyone to know."

"So… you made me think that my boyfriend was cheating on me so you didn't lose face?" Denise snapped, clearly thinking that Katy was selfish enough for that to be a viable option.

"No." The blonde folded her arms defensively, doing her best to fight against her rising temper. "It wasn't about losing face… it was about losing my kids. I can't give Tyler any more ammunition to use against me. He already thinks I'm sleeping with half the Square. If he finds out that I _am_ sleeping with Isaac…"

"Look," Jack took a step between them, holding up his hands, "this has just been a misunderstanding, yeah?"

"Really?"

"Yes, D." He said firmly, turning and catching hold of one of her hands. "There's nothing you need to worry about, OK?"

Evidently she wanted to believe that she could trust her boyfriend, because she nodded and leant in to kiss him. Katy took a step forward, reaching out to grasp the older woman by the arm.

"Just… please don't say anything about me and Isaac to _anyone_." The blonde requested, almost desperately. "Please, Denise."

"Fine."

Shooting Katy a suspicious look over her shoulder, she headed for the front door. Neither of them spoke until they heard it slam shut.

"Dad–"

Jack held up a hand and moved to peer out into the hall. Clearly deciding it was safe, he walked over to the window and looked out over the Square for a moment, before shaking his head and turning an accusatory eye on her.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"I _wasn't_, alright?" She admitted irritably. "I didn't mean to drop you in it, but you really do need to sort this out. Denise is clearly suspicious and you're getting less and less subtle. Dad, I'm surprised that no one else figured it out at the boat party!"

"Don't be stupid."

"I'm not! If nothing else, how long do you think Mum will let you mess her around like this?"

"Has she said something?" Jack asked, looking worried. "Katy, if she's–"

"No, she hasn't." His daughter replied with a scowl. "She wouldn't do that. But this is hardly fair, is it?"

"Fair?" He laughed mirthlessly. "Was it fair when we thought she was _dead_ for two years?"

"So this is payback, is it?"

"Of course it ain't. But this ain't fair on anyone, Katy." Before she could speak, he continued. "What are you thinking, eh? Isaac? You don't know anything about him?"

"I'm not planning on marrying him, Dad."

"And you're right, if Tyler gets wind–"

Katy shrugged. "It'll be just as bad if the truth about you and Mum comes crashing out, won't it? If Tyler can say this is what the kids are growing up with; their grandparents sneaking around, lying to everyone…"

"Katy…"

"Look, it's your life." She shrugged, turning and heading for the door. "But sort your shit before you have a go at me about mine, yeah?"

Jack didn't attempt to stop her as she left the house. Pausing on the top step to take a deep breath, Katy checked her phone and saw that she had a message from Peter. Smiling, she typed a quick reply to confirm that she was still up for meeting later, before making her way back to the R&R.

"Katherine Mitchell?"

Katy's eyes slipped shut at the sound of her name being called from behind her. Pausing with the key in the lock, her entire body tensed as she realised that she had been addressed so formally. Turning slowly, she looked the uniformed officers up and down, before nodding and unlocking the door.

"What can I do for you?" She asked, leading them into the building.

"You were at the Queen Victoria boat party on the Thames on Friday?"

"I was."

"Is it convenient to ask you a few questions?"

"I won't be much help; I don't remember much." Katy told them, leaning against the bar. "It was a party, after all."

"Anything you can remember would be helpful." The officer assured her, flipping open his notebook and looking expectant.

"Well… there was a bang, the whole boat lurched to one side and the captain told us there was a problem in the wheelhouse." She said with a shrug, rounding the bar and leaning against it. "He didn't say much else, apart from that we needed to get off the boat as quickly as possible."

"And you did so immediately?"

She paused. "I went to look for my friend. Whitney Dean… you're probably aware that your lot have got her wrongly banged up for defending herself against her abusive scumbag stalker. He tried to kill her and yet _she's_ the one in trouble because she defended herself?"

The officer didn't comment on her accusation. "And then?"

"I couldn't find her and a load of water suddenly surged up from nowhere. I managed to get back up to the main deck and my parents dragged me onto a life raft."

"And you can't remember anything that might be relevant from before the captain announced that there was a problem?"

"Unless you're interested in Mo Harris' inability to limbo, then no. Like I said, there was a bang and the boat lurched. I didn't see or hear anything else."

"Thank you. If you remember anything else that might be relevant, please let us know." The officer said, nodding at her as he pushed his notepad back into his pocket.

Katy watched as they left, wondering whether they actually had any idea of what had caused the incident and, more importantly, whether they'd ever really get to the bottom of it. Then that started her thinking about Whitney and her situation. She wished that her friend had just waited until they'd got back to the Square before doing anything stupid; at least then she might have been able to save her from some of the grief she was going through at the moment.

"You alright, Katy?"

"Oh my god!" The blonde whirled around and scowled at her friend as Tina entered the bar behind her. "Can I not have two minutes to myself today?"

"Sorry, I…"

Sighing, Katy shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. It's not your fault, T. It's just been one of those days."

"Anything I can help with?"

"No… how're you? Mick and Linda holding up OK?"

"Shaken… guilty." She admitted with a shrug. "But weirdly it seems to have fixed their marriage."

"At least something good's come out of it all, then." Katy said with a sigh. "Drink?"

"Bit early, init?"

"It's half two."

"Go on, then." The brunette agreed with a grin. She leant against the bar watching as Katy moved around by the optics, saying nothing as the younger woman poured them triple measures. "Anything on your mind that you wanna talk about?"

"No."

"Come on, K. A problem shared is a problem halved."

"Eurgh." Katy pulled a face at her. "You sound like Gran."

"Is this about Tyler? Has he been making more threats about custody?"

"No."

"Katy."

"Fine!" The blonde moved around to drop onto one of the bar stools, frowning at her friend irritably. "It's partly about Tyler, but it's also about Whitney and my parents."

"Your parents?" Tina tilted her head slightly, intrigued. "What've they done?"

"Look… if I tell you, you have to _promise_ to keep your gob shut, T, alright?"

"Of course."

"They're having an affair." Katy admitted. "Denise was suspicious and asked me about it and I kinda… I didn't deny it. Then she went to Dad, but I think we managed to convince her that I was just distracted and that there's nothing going on." She ran a hand through her hair. "It's gonna be such a mess when it all comes out. Denise is gonna be devastated and the kids are gonna be confused."

"You ain't your parents' keeper." Tina pointed out gently. "If they want to mess around behind people's backs that's their business."

"It's their business until the rest of us get dragged into it, too. If Tyler's serious about getting custody he won't think twice about using their behaviour against me. I wouldn't think twice, anyway, if I was him."

"You really think he's going to go through with this?"

"Yeah, I do." Katy nodded. Then she smiled grimly. "But he ain't gonna win."


	73. Chapter 73

"Katy!"

Jay jogged across the Square to catch up with her. The young woman paused, fumbling in her bag for the keys to the R&R, as he rounded the gardens and came to a halt beside her. Arching an eyebrow, she looked at him closely, her eyes roving over his face.

"Why d'you look so cheerful?"

"Am I not allowed to smile on such a lovely day?"

Katy frowned. "No. It's weird. Why are you being weird?"

"I'm not being weird." He argued, before nodding his head towards the café. "Fancy a coffee?"

Curious as to what could possibly have put him in such an obviously good mood, Katy nodded wordlessly and followed him inside. She smiled at Kathy, making her way to the back of the room and finding a table where they would have less chance of being overheard. Jay joined her a couple of moments later, setting a mug of coffee and a bacon sandwich in front of her.

Arching an eyebrow at the sandwich, Katy tilted her head to one side and narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Nothing!" Jay chuckled, holding up both hands. "Just had a bit of good news. Brilliant news, actually."

"Go on…"

"OK, but you cannot say _anything_ to _anyone_. Understand?"

"Alright, alright. I promise. So spill…"

"Lola's pregnant."

Katy almost choked on her mouthful of coffee. "She's… what?"

"Yeah, she told me yesterday."

"Is… is she OK with it? Is it… yours?"

Jay smile dropped for the first time since she'd seen him. "Of course it is!"

"Alright, sorry! I just had to ask."

"Did you? Really?"

"Jay, people never stopped asking me who the girls' dads were."

"Well, it's totally different, ain't it? You didn't know."

"I fucking did." She snapped. "I just didn't particularly want to tell anyone else."

"Alright, alright. But it is totally different. And it is definitely mine." Jay told her firmly.

"Well then I'm really happy for you Jay." Katy assured him, leaning back in her chair and grinning. "Welcome to the club. How's Lola feeling about doing it all over again?"

His face clouded a little. "I dunno… she didn't seem keen, if I'm honest."

"It's a lot to get your head around, Jay. It's OK for you; you're not the one who has to carry it for nine months and then push it out of your–"

"Yeah, OK." He held up a hand. "A visual I _really_ didn't need there."

"And trust me, if you thinking having _one_ kid is hard, two or three is almost impossible." She continued, enjoying the expression on his face. "I mean, one gets ill and the other one decides to catch it too. One wants attention and so the other has to out do them. Multiple new pairs of shoes, clothes, toys… then they start school and you think it's gonna get easier, but actually it just harder and harder."

"You're really selling this." Jay muttered, wrapping his hands around his mug and looking a little sulky.

Katy grinned at him. "Just giving you the facts, babe."

"It wasn't something I was immediately on board with, either. I had to get my head round it, too."

"I get that. I bet it was a bit of a shocker."

"Yeah, well… you can't say anything to anyone, right? Even Lola."

"My lips are sealed."

"If anyone can keep secrets…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jay laughed. "You know exactly what it means."

"I thought you wanted me to keep my mouth shut? You're going completely the wrong way about it, Jay."

"Look, I didn't mean anything by it, alright?"

"So… how far gone is she?"

"I dunno… like I said, she just did the test yesterday."

"Wait," Katy furrowed her eyebrows again, leaning forward and looking at him seriously, "I didn't realise she only found out yesterday, too. That must mean she's _really_ early in the pregnancy."

"Well, yeah… I guess."

"Jay… babe, a lot can happen early on." She told him gently. "I'm not… I don't want to dampen your good mood, but there's a lot that can go wrong. You probably shouldn't go round shouting about it just yet."

"Yeah, I know." He shrugged. Then he sent her a sheepish, slightly embarrassed grin. "But I wanted you to know. You're like my sister, ain't ya?"

"Feeling's mutual, you know that." Biting her lip, Katy wrapped her hands around her mug. "Jay… Lola does want this baby, right? She ain't gonna turn round and tell you she's getting rid?" When he didn't answer, just shrugged and looked down at his drink, she sighed. "Babe… have you told her that you want it? Like… actually laid it on the line?"

"Well, no…"

"Don't you think you should?"

"I just… I dunno, K. What if she…?"

"Look, if Lola doesn't want to keep the baby – if she's got a valid reason – then you're just going to have to accept it and support her. You know how tough she's had it and, like I said, it ain't easy bringing up more than one kid. But she does need to know how you feel about it too, babe."

"Yeah… yeah, you're right."

As he stood, tugging on his suit jacket nervously, Katy reached out and squeezed his hand. "Call me, anytime, yeah?"

* * *

The next few days dragged. Katy got stuck in a routine that she couldn't seem to shake herself free of. She would do the school run, awkwardly avoiding Alex and anyone else who so much as glanced in her direction, go to the bar, pick the kids up and then go back to the R&R until closing.

Jay had popped over to inform her that Lola had deciding that it wasn't the right time for them to have a baby and Katy had comforted him. She understood Lola's choice, although she privately thought that if she'd had someone as kind and supportive as Jay she wouldn't have made that decision. As he left, saying that he was going back to work, she picked up her phone and stared down at the lock screen thoughtfully. The smiling faces of the girls and her brothers and sister stared back at her as she made up her mind.

"Ritchie? It's Katy." She moved to the door and made sure it was firmly closed. "Have you heard anything from Tyler's solicitor?"

"I was going to call round later this afternoon. I've had a request for you to attend a mediation session."

"You what?"

"He can't apply to take the case to court unless he can prove you've tried mediation and it's failed, unless…"

"Unless what, Ritchie?"

"Unless he says there's been domestic abuse or social services involvement."

"But… he can't, because there hasn't." Katy pointed out. When Ritchie didn't immediately agree, she frowned. "What?"

"The tone of the email suggests that he possibly wouldn't be above doing one of those options." Ritchie admitted reluctantly. "As long as there would be no truth in the matter, then he wouldn't have a leg to stand on."

"Of course there's no truth in it! I'm assuming they'd be suggesting that I've abused him, which is bollocks."

"Are you sure that it really needs to come to this, Katherine? Is there no way you can talk it through and come to some arrangement? Until recently–"

"Isn't that what mediation is for?" Katy replied sarcastically.

"So I can tell them that you agree to it?"

"I haven't exactly got a choice, have I?" She muttered irritably. "If I don't agree to it, then it sounds as though it'll just make things worse for the kids. Has he not considered what it would be like for them if he calls social services on me or has me painted as an abuser?"

"It would work in your favour later down the line."

"Fine, I'll do it. But I've made a decision."

"Are you sure this is something you want to say out loud… to me." Ritchie sounded as though she wasn't sure she wanted to hear it.

"Yeah, I've thought about it a lot." Katy assured her determinedly. "If this carries on and we do end up with a court order, I want everything thrown at Tyler that we can find. Nothing's out of bounds."

"Katherine, are you sure you've–?"

"I'm serious, Ritchie. He is _not_ getting my kids."

With assurances that she'd do as Katy instructed, the solicitor ended the call. Clenching her hands into fists at her sides, the blonde paused for a moment, before grabbing hold of the nearest thing and hurling it at the far wall with a scream of anger. The stapler smashed into pieces as it connected, showering staples all over the sofa.


	74. Chapter 74

"I'm not used to not getting my dates' full attention." Isaac teased, poking Katy in the side before shoving a chip in his mouth as she jumped. "What's up?"

"Firstly, not a date." She replied, chewing thoughtfully on her own chip. "Secondly, it's nothing."

"Right. Not that I'm big-headed or anything, but women don't usually stare into space when I'm sitting opposite them."

"Not big-headed at all." Katy said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Doesn't that 'I'm so great' routine get boring?"

"Not really." Isaac shrugged easily, not rising to her bad-temper. "Are you usually this grumpy?"

"Yeah. Get used to it."

Isaac laughed, leaning back in his seat and tilting his head as he appraised her closely. Katy huffed irritably at the look on his face, focusing on her lunch instead of meeting his gaze.

Jay had informed her that he was planning on proposing to Lola that lunchtime and she had a bad feeling about it. She knew that the younger woman loved him, but she wasn't sure that Lola was ready to make such a big commitment, even to Jay. The anticipation of her pseudo-brother getting his heart broken was making her tetchy and she was taking it out on Isaac.

"I've got a date tonight." Katy announced suddenly, not raising her eyes from her plate.

"Yeah? Anyone I know?"

"Peter."

"Beale's kid?" Isaac asked, apparently a little surprised. "Wouldn't have thought he was your type."

"Really? Pretty face, lots of muscles, what's not to like?"

"Didn't you say he had a kid with your best mate slash cousin?"

Katy snorted. "You ain't lived around here long enough to know that ain't a reason not to date someone. My sister Amy is technically also my cousin, seeing as her mum is my aunt."

"Bloody hell, this place is weird."

"Tell me about it."

"So… you're actually willing to admit that you're going on a date with him, then?"

Arching an eyebrow, Katy lowered her fork. "Jealous?"

"No… curious."

"Yeah, well… I won't be shouting about it from the rooftops or anything." She admitted. "Just, you know, thought I should tell you."

"Right, whatever." He shrugged. "It's cool; we're casual, ain't we? No strings, right?"

"Exactly," Katy agreed, "just thought it would be polite to let you know."

"So… can we talk about something else now? Or are you gonna be cantankerous the whole time?"

"Cantankerous? Good word."

"I am a very, very good teacher."

Katy laughed as his cocky attitude returned. They chatted about nothing in particular until Isaac glanced at the time and realised that he needed to get back to work. As he offered to pay and Katy agreed, he teased her about being an independent woman when it suited her. Katy arched an eyebrow and reminded him that lunch was a small price to pay for her company.

As he left the pub with a wink and a smug smirk, Katy shook her head and made her way up to the bar. When Shirley nodded her head towards the doors, silently asking about the younger blonde's lunch companion, Katy merely shrugged.

"We're mates." She replied casually. "With Whit banged up and not letting any of us visit her, it's good to have someone to talk to."

"Yeah? Just mates?"

"Yes, _Mum_." Katy rolled her eyes.

"Eh, don't let Ronnie hear you saying that, even if you are just being sarcastic." Shirley cautioned.

Making a muffled noise of acknowledgement and wrapping her hands around her refilled glass, Katy avoided her questioning gaze. "Yeah."

"What's happened? What's she done this time?"

"Oh, nothing, Shirl." Katy shook her head, a small smile on her face at the tone of the older woman's voice. "Just the usual."

"Sure?"

"Yeah, honestly. Thanks, though." Catching sight of Peter heading towards the doors at the other end of the room, Katy downed the rest of her drink and slid off the stool. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

Hurrying after the young man, she pulled on her jacket and dodged through the shoppers on the market until she caught up with him. Peter grinned as he realised who had just grabbed his arm to get his attention, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow. Katy rolled her eyes at him.

"Fancy a drink later?" She asked, sounding as casual as she could. "I mean, to make up for me bailing on you the other day?"

He narrowed his eyes a little, pretending to consider her words. "First round on you?"

"Yeah, sure." Katy agreed, rolling her eyes again. "Honestly, you're never gonna change, are you?"

"Probably not. I am a Beale, after all."

They both laughed. "At least you acknowledge it, I suppose. Dunno if I would."

"You acknowledge you're a Mitchell, though, which might actually be worse."

Narrowing her eyes playfully, Katy smirked. "You might just come to regret that snide little comment, Beale."

"Maybe I'll look forward to that."

"Vic at seven?"

"See you then."

Grinning to herself, Katy strode off in the direction of R&R, shaking her head a little. She knew that there would never be anything between her and Peter, but as she had said to Isaac; pretty face and lots of muscles, what wasn't to like?

Her good mood lasted as far as the bar when her mobile started ringing. Seeing Jay's photo flashing on the display, her fist clenched and she paused for a moment before accepting the call. At his unintelligible ranting, her heart plummeted into her stomach as she realised that her fears had been confirmed and Lola had turned him down.

Spinning on the spot, Katy made her way quickly back along Bridge Street and around the gardens to the car lot. Banging on the door, calling out his name, she waited until Jay unlocked it from the inside and let her in. He'd lowered the blinds, but not turned the light on, causing the office to be dimly lit. Apparently he'd also taken his frustration out on the contents of the desk.

"Come on, kid… it's not that bad." Katy tried to reason with him as soon as she'd manoeuvred them into a comfortable position. "So she doesn't want to marry you at the moment… it ain't the end of the world, is it? I mean, you're twenty-five and Lola's twenty-three. You've got loads of time to get hitched, if that's what you want."

"We've broken up, Katy."

"Oh… oh, babe, I'm sorry." Pulling him into a tight hug, Katy rubbed his back soothingly as he buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed. "Jay, sweetie, it'll be OK. You'll work it out in no time. You know you will. You and Lola are meant to be together."

"Maybe it's just not enough?"

"It is." She assured him firmly. "You're both young, there's plenty of time for the marriage and babies thing. Unlike some of us, you've still got a choice in the matter."

"Unlike… what? You're still young, too. You might decide to have more kids if you find the right guy."

Sending him a wry smile, Katy shook her head. "I can't have any more kids. The cancer treatments saw to that. I'm good with it, though; I've got my girls. But I am looking forward to being Aunty Katy when you and Lola get round to it."

Sighing deeply as Jay pulled her into another hug, Katy fumbled for her mobile. She sent a couple of texts; one to Kathy telling her she wouldn't make it to the bar that afternoon and another to Peter, asking whether they could rearrange their drink for another evening. Katy didn't feel as though she could leave Jay alone and go and enjoy herself. With another deep sigh, she settled herself in for a long afternoon and evening of sympathy and reassurances.

* * *

The next day, Katy set herself the task of getting to see Whitney. She had spoken to Sonia and Tiffany and heard that the younger woman had decided to protest through a hunger strike. Knowing that Whitney was getting desperate made Katy even more determined to get into the prison to speak to her.

Crossing the Square, she banged on Gray and Chantelle's front door, waiting for someone to let her in. Smiling weakly, Chantelle attempted to put Katy off, but she refused to be turned away and pushed her way into the house anyway.

"What's going on with Whitney's case?" She demanded bluntly, standing in the middle of the living room and arching an eyebrow at the lawyer. "How can you have let her go on hunger strike? What kind of fucking stupid strategy _is_ that? Seriously, what are you playing at?"

"Katy, come on…" Chantelle attempted to curb her temper. "Gray's doing his best, but it's a hard case."

"Thanks, Chantelle, I can speak for myself." Her husband snapped.

Katy glanced at the older woman quickly, seeing the fleeting expression on her eyes. "Yeah, well… at least you've got someone sticking up for you, unlike Whit. You couldn't even get her bail! You got Kush to change his plea for nothing!"

"That wasn't–"

"So what's the plan, Gray?" She continued angrily. "What are you gonna do next?"

"I'm working on a strategy to–"

Katy shook her head. "Sounds like bullshit to me. Stop working on strategies and start working on winning her case."

Turning on her heels, she slammed her way out of the house and headed straight for Dot's. Sonia answered the door immediately, listening as Katy told her that she'd been to see Gray. The older woman explained that she and Tiff had received a very similar response from him the day before.

"Something ain't right, Son." Katy pointed out, folding her arms. "Why is he so defensive? Why didn't Whit get bail? Why has she decided she's on hunger strike?"

"Maybe…?"

"There's no maybe, Son. Something's wrong. I'll give Ritchie and call and–"

"No offence, Katy, but we don't want the Mitchell solicitor getting involved, OK?" Sonia told her bluntly. "Things are looking bad enough for her already, without that added complication. Ritchie deals with all the dodgy shit you and your lot get up to… Whitney's innocent."

"Right… OK." Opening the front door, she sent one final look at her cousin over her shoulder. "Message received, loud and clear."


	75. Chapter 75

"Hey!" Katy jogged a little to catch up with Peter on the Square, smiling at him as he paused to wait for her. "Sorry about bailing the other night and thanks; I hear you covered my shift at the R&R."

"Oh, yeah, no problem. When you couldn't make it for that drink, Gran asked if I fancied a shift."

"I appreciate it." She told him sincerely. "Jay really needed me and I couldn't just leave him in the state he was in. Him and Lola had an argument and you'd have thought the world was ending. Young love and all that."

"Right…" Peter nodded a little stiffly, his smile not meeting his eyes. "I'd better get going… got a personal training session with Habiba in five minutes."

"Sure… thanks, again."

Watching him jog away around the gardens, Katy resumed her walk to the R&R. Tina was dealing with the delivery and set up of the new air hockey table and the blonde was hoping that it would be all sorted without her needing to get involved at all.

She had, however, promised that she would let Jack know when it was all set up so that he and his cronies could try it out before anyone else got their hands on it. Katy was sure that he and Max were far more excited about the table than anyone else she'd spoken to about it.

'**Lola's had the abortion. We've sorted things. We're all good now. X'**

Reading the message from Jay several times, Katy couldn't help wondering whether everything really was as sorted as he had hoped. She'd seen how devastated he had been the night before and yet there had been no messages or phone calls from Lola in the whole time she'd been with him. She could appreciate that her cousin was probably just as upset, but it seemed strange to her that there had been absolutely no contact at all.

'**I hope so. X'**

Knowing that Jay would have something to say about her guarded, obviously suspicious response to his message, Katy pushed her phone back into her pocket and continued to the bar. Tina greeted her with far more excitement and energy than her friend thought she should possibly possess, almost leaping on her in a tight hug as she explained that the air hockey table was already up and running.

"Let's have a go before you call Jack, yeah?" Tina pleaded, holding out a paddle in Katy's direction with a hopeful expression on her face.

"OK… but I'm warning you now that I'm gonna be absolutely shit."

Laughing, Tina skipped around the end of the table and started the game up. They played for a while, Katy's prediction proving true, much to Tina's immense amusement. Finally, she threw up her hands and announced that enough was enough and that she had work to do.

"Don't forget to ring your dad!"

"Life wouldn't be worth living if I did!" Katy shouted back as she ascended the stairs, already pulling out her phone to make the call.

Jack and the others had turned up after about ten minutes and spent several hours messing around by the air hockey table. Katy had refused to join in, laughing and shaking her head as they'd done their best to change her mind. She suggested that Tina take them on instead, receiving very little argument from her friend.

"Oi!" Katy shouted a long while later, catching a few words of the heated conversation between Patrick and Isaac after the young man had reacted angrily to losing the game he was playing. "Show Patrick a bit of respect, yeah? I didn't pay for that thing so idiots could start mouthing off."

"Oh, whatever." Isaac snapped, pushing past and storming out of the bar.

"You alright?" Katy asked, already pouring Patrick a generous measure of rum. She shook her head when he put his hand in his pocket to pay. "That sounded pretty serious?"

"The boy needs to keep his temper under control."

"I'm guessing you didn't do anything to warrant being on the receiving end?"

Patrick chuckled. "He's just being protective of his mother."

"Yeah, well… still no need to act like a spoilt brat." Katy pointed out. "I saw how he reacted when Dad beat him earlier."

"You've been spending a lot of time with him recently." The man pointed out. When she opened her mouth to reply, he shook his head. "Isaac's not said anything, but I can tell he likes you."

Katy shrugged. "Yeah, well… I don't need another kid to look after; I've got enough on my plate at the moment."

Sending Patrick a wry smile, Katy moved further along the bar to serve several other customers. By the time she'd finished dealing with them, the older man was nowhere to be seen and she guessed that he'd headed home. With a sigh, she leant against the bar, surveying the room while her mind wandered.

She hadn't seen that side of Isaac before; the anger that had blossomed in him when he hadn't got his way. Tyler had had his moments when his temper had got the better of him, but she'd never actually worried that he might attack someone who would be incapable of defending themselves. She wasn't sure she could say the same for Isaac after seeing the way he'd been with Patrick.

"You alright, love?" Katy asked, momentarily taking pity on the slightly, uncomfortable looking older man leaning against the bar. "What can I get ya?"

"Don't suppose you've got a Glenmorangie single malt?"

Chuckling, she shrugged. "I can offer you a Glenfiddich or a Highland Park. We don't really have much call for expensive single malts around here."

"I'll take the Glenfiddich, double," he replied with a theatrical sigh, "thank you. And whatever you're having, obviously."

"Thanks." Katy nodded, moving to the optics and pouring out the measures. "So… I ain't seen you around here before. I'd probably remember someone asking for Glenmorangie. Makes a bit of a change from lager and pina coladas."

"No… I'm here with my son and his friends." He glanced over his shoulder to the group of raucous young lads at a table on the opposite side of the bar. "It's his… coming out night? Is that a thing?"

"Not sure I've heard it given an official title before. But it's nice… always good to know there are some accepting, supportive parents out there."

"Why? Were yours not?"

Katy chuckled into her vodka, before shaking her head. "Wouldn't know; I'm not gay. But I imagine they probably would be fine with it."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"Why? Wouldn't matter if I was; I'm just not." She shrugged. "Besides, people make that assumption about me all the time because I own this place."

"It was the assumption I was apologising for."

Katy shrugged again, moving along the bar to collect a few discarded glasses. "Like I said, doesn't bother me."

"So? You own this place?"

"I do." She agreed with a proud smile. "It's hard work, but it's worth it."

"Do you run it on your own?"

Pausing, Katy fixed the man with a suspicious frown. "Why? Who wants to know?"

"I'm just interested, honestly." He assured her, slipping his hand into his jacket pocket and handing her a business card. "Graham North, financial analyst."

"I don't need financially analysing, thanks."

He laughed. "I wouldn't dream of attempting to analyse or advise you. I can see you're doing very well on your own."

Cautiously, Katy reached out and took the card, keeping her eyes fixed on it as she spoke. "Katy Mitchell, bar owner, single mother, not interested in bullshit."

"Well, Katy Mitchell, that's good because I'm not interested in bullshit either." Graham told her, his head tilted to one side as he watched her with interest. "But I am interested in you."

Katy snorted in disbelief. "You've known me for, what, ten minutes tops? You know nothing about me."

"I put a lot of importance on gut feeling and my gut is telling me that you're someone I'd like to get to know... a lot better."

"Yeah? I think that's probably the Glenfiddich talking." She told him with a smirk, before nodding her head back to the group of lads on the other side of the room. "Besides, aren't you on supportive dad duty?"

Chuckling, Graham knocked back his whiskey and winked at her. Then he rejoined his son and his friends at their table. Interest thoroughly piqued, Katy watched them for a moment, wondering what the meeting could potentially mean.

"Who was that?" Tina asked, sidling up beside her friend and looking towards the group of men.

Katy resumed drying the glass in her hand for a moment, before answering. "Not entirely sure, T, but I think maybe it would be useful to find out."

* * *

"Katy? Can I have a word?" Denise requested, hovering in the doorway of the R&R the next day.

Slightly suspiciously, Katy nodded. "Sure."

"In your office?"

Wondering what was heading her way, the blonde led the way upstairs and out of earshot of everyone else, closing the door behind her. "Look… if this is about whatever you think is going on between Mum and Dad–"

"No." Denise held up her hand and shook her head. "No, it's not about that." She smiled weakly, before motioning towards the sofa. When Katy nodded, she sat down and smoothed down her coat. "It's about Isaac."

Huffing, the blonde dropped into her desk chair. "Look… me and Isaac, it ain't serious and after how he was yesterday…" She shook her head. "Like I told Patrick, I ain't got time to look after another kid."

"It's yesterday that I wanted to talk to you about. Yesterday was the anniversary of his dad's death. He told me he idolised him, which is why he's having trouble dealing with the fact that his mum has married Patrick."

Katy paused for a moment before shrugging. "I get that and I feel for him… I really do, Denise. But did you see me lashing out at you when I thought Mum was dead? I struggled to deal with you and Dad being together, I wasn't particularly happy about it, but I never made you feel like Isaac is making Patrick feel, did I? Or did I? Tell me, because I _really_ don't think I did."

"No, you didn't." She acknowledged. "But–"

"It ain't an excuse, Denise and it ain't gonna wash."


	76. Chapter 76

"You are gonna be there, ain't ya?"

Katy sighed, running a hand over her eyes. "I said so, didn't I, Tiff?"

"Yeah, but you've been a bit… you know… not around…"

Lowering her mobile from her ear for a moment, Katy exhaled sharply. It wasn't that she didn't want to join the others in the pub for the moment when, hopefully, Whitney would arrive after being given bail. Katy was just worried that this hearing would have the same outcome as the last. She felt so useless not being able to do anything to help her best friend and wasn't sure she'd handle another disappointment well.

"I promised I'd be there, so I'll be there." She told her cousin firmly.

"Alright, well… just make sure you are, yeah? Whit'll be devastated if you ain't."

"Yeah, OK."

Time ticked slowly until Katy finally gave up and headed over to the Vic. Everyone else already seemed to be there when she walked in, so she moved to stand with Tiffany and Sonia, both of whom looked incredibly sombre.

"If they've gone against Whit again… I don't know if she can keep fighting." Tiffany murmured, looking between Katy and Sonia nervously.

"Well we just need to trust in the system." Sonia told her.

Katy snorted. "Sure."

The older woman was stopped from answering by the sound of the pub doors opening. Everyone's eyes immediately flicked towards them, disappointment sparking in everyone as Gray entered the Vic on his own. Katy's grip on her glass tightened and she fought to keep her expression under control.

There was a long pause before Gray spoke. "They gave Whitney bail on the grounds of new evidence."

A cheer erupted from everyone gathered around as Whitney herself walked into the pub. Tiffany was the first to reach her, throwing herself into her sister's arms and hugging her tightly. Katy wasn't far behind, feeling herself being pulled into the embrace as she pressed a kiss to the side of the brunette's head.

"I missed you so much, Whit." She admitted, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against the side of her friend's head. "Thank god they saw sense and let you out."

She didn't reply, but she tightened her grip on her friend, closing her eyes.

As things settled a little, Stuart mentioning something to Callum about Ben distracted Katy. She continued to watch as Ruby joined the conversation, before deciding that something didn't feel right. Debating whether to get involved for a couple of moments, her Mitchell side kicked in and she couldn't help herself.

"Ben's paid to use your office?" Katy asked, moving to stand beside Ruby and frowning at her curiously. "Why?"

"Like I said, I didn't ask too many questions." She replied with a shrug. "Should I have?"

The blonde snorted. "No, you're probably better off not knowing."

"You think it's dodgy?" Callum asked innocently.

"I dunno… maybe he just wanted a bit of space. Can't be easy being him at the moment."

"What's this? Sympathy for Ben from Katy Mitchell?"

Arching an eyebrow at her cousin's boyfriend she shrugged. "I ain't completely heartless."

Callum smiled and nudged her gently in the side. "I was kidding. I know you ain't. Look… what d'you know about Danny Hardcastle?"

Katy fixed him with a serious look. "Why?"

"Lola said he wouldn't be stupid enough to meet him without Phil, but–"

"You think he would?" When he didn't answer, Katy downed the rest of her drink and banged the glass on the bar. "I'll go and check on him." When Callum made to follow, she shook her head. "I really wouldn't, if I were you."

Hurrying towards Ruby's, Katy headed down the steps and into the bar. She completely ignored the well-built man who looked her up and down before she pushed through the double doors. Ben and Danny Hardcastle were seated at the bar, her cousin's associate immediately going silent as she walked in.

"Don't get up on my account, boys." Katy told them, shooting Ben a hard look. "Just got some things to be getting on with." Seeing the expression on Danny's face, she smirked. "Don't worry, I'm a Mitchell… I know how this works."

Recognition bloomed over the older man's countenance and he pointed at her. "Katy, right?"

"That's me." She agreed, moving behind the bar. "Has my cousin here even offered you a drink? On the house, of course."

"He hasn't actually." Danny told her, swivelling on his stool to follow her progress along the optics rack. "I'll have a vodka, if you're offering. Straight."

"Good choice; man after my own heart."

"I heard you'd opened a bar. This your place?"

"Nah, mine's the one up the road. R&R."

"I'll have to check it out sometime."

"You do that." Katy replied with a smirk.

"What do you want?" Ben demanded, scowling at her.

"Like I said, I've got things to do." She shot back, handing the older man his drink. "I'm not here to interfere with your meeting, Ben. You know I have no idea about cars. Just forget I'm here… I won't overhear anything, don't worry."

"Thanks, Katy." Danny raised his glass and nodded at her. "Good to see you again."

"Yeah, you too." She lied, making her way into the office.

She paused out of sight, eavesdropping on the conversation, despite what she'd said. Just as the tone was turning more heated, Ben clearly out of his depth and not having any idea what his associate was saying to him, Katy decided enough was enough.

'**You need to say something. He's gonna start thinking there's a problem in a minute. It sounds like a solid idea, but tell him you need to know more. Ask for specifics.' **Katy sent the message, shaking her head at the silence that had followed Danny's words. She watched the screen, relieved when the ticks beside her message turned blue.

Then another voice joined the conversation and Katy's heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

"I'm Mr Mitchell's assistant." Callum was saying. "I'm sorry I'm late. I've got the, uhh, figures that you asked for. I can tell you what you need to make this work."

"Right, well… finally!" Ben exclaimed. "Shall we."

Gathering some random files from the office, Katy headed back into the main room. She completely ignored Ben's furious scowl, but returned Danny's smile as she settled herself in a booth just close enough to be able to hear what they were saying, but out of sight enough that they would forget she was there.

She listened as Danny outlined what he was hoping to achieve and what Ben's part in it would be. As far as Katy could tell, Ben would be taking all of the risk and getting a comparatively small share of the profit for his trouble. Hoping that Callum had enough sense to realise that as well, she tapped at the conversation thread with Ben on her phone hastily telling him everything that he needed to know.

"And that is the proposition." Danny ended his pitch, with the air of someone who was confident on sealing a deal. "Simple enough. We split the profits. I don't think it takes any additional investment from us. All cars come from outside the area, mint condition. They pass through your car lot. You give the nod to your contact. We split the profits." There was a pause. "It's a yes or no, Mitchell."

'**You need to press for a bigger share of the profit – all the risk on your side. Say something before he questions why you ain't done already.' **

"I think Mr Mitchell is thinking whether the price split is fair, considering he'll be the one taking the risk and using his premises." Callum replied before Ben could.

"Does Mr Mitchell ever get to speak for himself these days?" Danny asked, proving Katy's assumption correct.

"Our car lot, our risk." Ben pointed out.

"Fifty-five, forty-five. I'll go no lower."

'**55/45. Still not worth it.'**

"And before you say yes to my very generous offer, perhaps you'd like to tell me exactly what the Old Bill is doing in here?"

Katy swore under her breath as the tension rocketed in the room. She kept her head down, trying to think of a way around the very big problem that had just developed.

"You seriously underestimate me."

Ben stood up hastily. "This isn't what you think!"

"He saw him at the station!" Danny shouted, jabbing his finger between his heavy and Callum.

"I was trying to get on the training course, but I'm not here as police!" Callum tried to defend himself desperately.

"Outside."

"No! No, no, no!" Callum protested as he was grabbed and dragged roughly towards the door. "I'm not police! Ben! Just tell them!"

"I'm deaf!" Ben exploded suddenly. "I… I'm deaf. It's temporary, alright? It's from the boat crash. He's here to help me understand what you want me to do."

"Like a translator." Callum added quickly. "Look, he can't hear. He needs help."

"You, mini Mitchell, have been wasting my time." Danny told him darkly.

"This don't change nothing."

"I wouldn't let you drive my car, let alone fence high-end."

"I can drive." Ben argued desperately.

"You've been playing me and I don't climb into bed with anyone I don't trust, Benjamin." He shook his head. "Bizzies get one whiff of this and we will be on your doorstep. In your nightmares."


	77. Chapter 77

"You screwed that right up." Ben snapped as soon as the double doors stopped swinging behind Danny.

"What?"

"Help me? Help me? What am I?" He demanded furiously. "What am I? A project? Your kid? You have given them every reason to never work with the Mitchells again!" He lost his temper, swiping at the menu on the nearest table and sending it flying across the room. "I am running a business! This is a business!"

"If I hadn't showed up… you know I'm meant to be at my police assessment right now! Right now!" Callum reminded him. "It's not my fault. This is not my fault! I didn't cause the boat accident and you need to stop pretending like being deaf hasn't changed you–"

"I can't hear you!"

"Because it has!" Callum continued as though Ben hadn't interrupted. "Ben, it has. Look at you! Look at you."

"I can't hear ya!"

"You need to stop pretending like everything can be like it was, 'cos it can't. You need to stop making stupid mistakes, Ben, because you are going to end up in serious trouble."

"I can't hear ya!" He bellowed in his boyfriend's face, smacking the side of his head and storming out of the club.

Katy waited a couple of moments, listening to Callum sobbing softly. Then she stood up and made her way behind the bar. Pouring him a whisky, she placed it on the surface between them and motioned towards it. Callum shook his head, looking away.

With a sigh, Katy leant on the bar. "Callum, drink the whisky."

"I was just trying to help."

"I know." She agreed with a nod. "Ben knows too. But this ain't your world, Callum." As he finally took a sip of his drink, she shrugged. "What did you think would happen? Seriously, I'm interested to know. Did you honestly think that someone like Danny Hardcastle wouldn't find out that you're a cop?"

"I had to do something!"

"No, Callum, you didn't." Katy told him softly. "Why do you think I was sitting over there?" Bringing up the conversation thread, she held it out for him to read. "We had it covered. Ben got to save face and knew everything he needed to. He didn't need you steamrollering in and making him look like a child who needs their hand holding."

"But I…"

"Look, I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you ain't a Mitchell."

"That's–"

"You ain't a Mitchell," she continued, shaking her head as he tried to argue, "but surely you've spent enough time with Ben to realise that being a Mitchell is more than just the name. It's the reputation that's staked _on_ the name. Being a Mitchell around here means something. Fuck knows I'm being hypocritical now – I've said I don't care about the name more times than I can count – but it's true." She shook her head. "Callum, I get discounts from the wholesaler when I make an order because I'm a Mitchell. Tina broke up a fight at the R&R last week by mentioning that the owner was a Mitchell."

"That's so messed up…"

"Maybe." She shrugged. "But that's how it is and I will never admit to saying this, but Ben's got it tougher than most. He's Phil Mitchell's son. Those are huge shoes to fill. If Danny goes round telling people that Ben brings coppers to his deals… he's fucked. Do you get that?"

"Yeah, but I weren't there as a copper."

"You're missing the point, Callum." Katy sighed. "You can't separate the two facts. You're a wannabe copper and you were at a dodgy business deal. Ben was right… you screwed it up."

"What can I do to fix it?" He asked, his eyes wide and hopeful as though he thought Katy held all the answers.

"You can't and you shouldn't even try." She told him firmly. "Let Ben get it out of his system and calm down and he'll see that you were only doing what you thought was best."

"What if he don't?"

"I don't know." Katy admitted honestly. "Look… I'm gonna tell you something that my Aunty Peg, Ben's Gran, told me when I was a kid. She said that whether I believed it or not, one day I'd realise that being a Mitchell was more important than anything or anyone else. She was right and I've realised it many, many times since then." Seeing that Callum was about to protest, she smiled weakly. "I know it's… it makes things hard. It makes having a relationship hard. If you think it's worth fighting for then you have to fight for it, Callum. I haven't found one that's really worth it, yet. But you and Ben? Who knows? Maybe you're it."

"Why did you come and help Ben? I know you don't like him."

"It's that Mitchell thing. He's my cousin. I knew he'd try and save face by not telling Danny he couldn't hear and I didn't want him to get in over his head. Whether I like him or not, he's still family."

There was a long silence as Callum tried to process things. He cradled the half-full glass of whisky in his hands until Katy took it away and downed the liquid herself. When he looked at her questioningly, she just shrugged.

"We'd better get going. I dunno how long it'll be before Ruby gets back."

Parting with him outside the club, Katy glanced at the time and decided to wander slowly towards Walford Primary to pick up the children. She was deep in thought, wondering whether she could find a way to repair the damage Callum had done that afternoon.

She didn't particularly want to get involved with Ben's dodgy business deals, but telling his boyfriend what Peggy had told her had set something off in Katy's mind. She felt as though she owed it to her aunt to at least try to help Ben. Katy wasn't sure whether he'd even accept any attempt she might make, but she needed to at least give it a go.

"Oh, sorry…"

Katy glanced up at the person she'd bumped into and smiled. "My fault. How're you feeling?"

Linda returned her smile weakly. "Oh, you know… I'm doing much better. I really am sorry for–"

"It's fine." The younger woman assured her quickly. "I really have had worse." She glanced at the crutches. "You walking to the school?"

"Yeah… first day of picking Ollie up on my own. I'm not going to let these stop me."

"Mind if I walk with you?"

"No… I mean, of course not."

They continued in silence for a couple of moments, neither really sure what to say to each other. Katy guessed that Linda was nervous about entering the playground and facing the gossip. There was no doubt there would be gossip; Katy had heard it for herself. She was slightly impressed by the way Linda was holding her head up and facing everything head on.

"It'll be OK." Katy said softly, nudging Linda gently with her shoulder as she hesitated by the gates. "If you want I'll stay with you."

"You will?"

"Of course." She chuckled. "I've dealt with my fair share of gossiping parents."

"Oh, thank god they're not out yet!" Chantelle gasped, skidding to a halt beside them. "It was only when I got to the salon I realised I'd forgotten the kids."

"Too much work, not enough hours." Linda said with a weak smile as Katy laughed.

"I, umm, haven't seen you here for a while."

"No, I'm… I'm about to start building bridges." The older woman nodded her head towards a huddle of mums. "Watch my back in case she gets the knife out."

Katy exchanged a look with Chantelle and hung back a little as Linda approached the group. She watched as Linda attempted to apologise for her behaviour, feeling uncomfortable as everyone eavesdropped on the conversation. As the older woman turned and started to make her way back towards them, Katy rearranged her expression into a reassuring smile. It quickly dropped as Shelley started to speak.

"You can't see how she's gonna fix this?" Katy snorted, moving to stand beside Linda and hearing the end of the conversation. "What, _exactly_, are you expecting her to fix? She's apologised and the gracious thing to do would be to accept that apology."

"What would you know about being gracious?" Shelley asked, looking Katy up and down. "You're a Mitchell."

"Katy…"

The woman's last sentence touched a nerve. Katy snorted derisively, her temper reaching boiling point in a split second. "You know what, you ain't even worth getting bothered over. I'd have told Linda not keep her apology because you don't really deserve one, do you?"

"Uhh? What's this got to do with you, anyway?"

"Linda's my mate. Mates stick up for each other." Katy glanced at the women on either side of her with a sarcastic smirk. "You know, real mates? Not just people who hang on your every word and nod along because they know that you'll turn on them at the first opportunity. But then, I don't suppose you've actually got any real mates, do you, Shelley?"

"Linda?" Everyone turned at the interruption. Isaac pointedly avoided making eye contact with everyone except the woman he had addressed. "Glad I caught you. Just been talking to Class R and your name came up. Wondered if you were free to come in and hear reading on Wednesdays?"

"I'd love to." She smiled, relief visible on her face at the offer. "Thank you."

As Isaac turned and walked away with her, Katy chuckled. "You ever been asked to listen to readers, Shelley? No? Maybe they don't want to risk offending you by assuming _you_ can read. See ya!"

Laughing to herself at the stunned, furious expression on the other woman's face, Katy turned and headed off to join Chantelle once more. The other woman shot her a questioning look, so the blonde filled her in on everything she'd been unable to hear.

"You didn't say that?"

"Course I did." Katy laughed, still amused by the look on Shelley's face at her words. "I ain't scared of her. She needs taking down a peg or two… strutting round thinking she's better than everyone else."

"You're not worried she's gonna make things tricky for you or the kids?" Holding up her hands, she shrugged. "Whether we like it or not, she does actually hold some influence around here."

"Pfft… Chantelle, have you ever seen me remotely interested in whatever shit the PTA are doing? Besides, the kids can handle themselves and, if they can't, they'll come to me and I'll sort it."

"I wish I was as sure about things as you are."

Katy laughed. "I'm not sure about most things, apart from my kids, and I'm sure they're chips off the old block which is how I know they'll be fine."


	78. Chapter 78

The day of Dennis' funeral cast a funny atmosphere over the entire Square. Katy had been in two minds about whether she should attend, until the morning came and she made up her mind. She took the children to school before returning to the flat and finding something suitable to wear to the ceremony. Ronnie smiled tightly at her, as she saw her entering the kitchen dressed solely in black.

Katy knew that her mother had taken Dennis' death hard. It was a combination of the boy dying so young and the realisation that she could, so easily, be in Sharon's place. Katy had reassured her many times that she was strong, that she was beating the cancer, but it was still difficult for Ronnie to believe.

"Any word from Phil yet?" Katy asked, ignoring the expression on her mother's face.

"Nothing. I've left him messages… I can't believe he's going to miss this. He won't forgive himself if he does."

"He's a big boy, Mum. It's his decision. I think he's being a coward." She broke off as her phone started ringing in her hand. Frowning at the display, she raised it to her ear. "Kathy?"

Ronnie rolled her eyes as her daughter listened, assuming it was something to do with the bar. When Katy let out a sound of disbelief, the older woman sat up straighter, trying to make sense of the one-sided conversation.

"But she can't do that?" Katy was saying, her tone heading towards angry. "I don't care, we've got a _right_ to– When she gets out of this mood she's in, she'll regret that she ever stopped– Fine. Fine, we won't. But she can't stop us being on the Square or in the Vic." Ending the call, Katy shook her head and looked at her mother irritably. "Sharon's banned all Mitchells from the funeral. She doesn't want any of us there."

"She can't do that!"

"She has." Katy replied. "You heard what I said, though. She can't stop us being on the Square to see him off or being in the Vic for the wake."

"No. Your dad's going, though, isn't he? I suppose that's something."

"Yeah… well, the bar and the club are both closed, so we might as well head over to the Vic straight after they leave. There's nothing else to do."

Glancing at the time, Ronnie realised that they'd cut it finer than she'd realised. Hurrying her daughter out into the hallway, they knocked on the door to the downstairs flat and waited impatiently for Glenda and Roxy to join them, passing on Kathy's message. Roxy was just as aggravated by Sharon's decision as they were, but agreed that they should see the hearse off and attend the wake anyway.

The Square was eerily silent as they stepped outside. Everyone they could see was dressed in black. The horse-drawn hearse was stationary outside the Beale's and they could see the coffin inside. Katy reached for her mother's hand, giving it a tight squeeze as they descended the steps and walked slowly over to join Jack and Denise.

Katy almost laughed at the sight of Jay in his undertaker's outfit, but stopped herself, knowing that it was entirely inappropriate. The hearse made its way slowly around the Square and they stood and watched along with everyone else until it rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.

"Vic?" Glenda suggested softly.

They all nodded, following her through the gardens in the direction of the pub. Ronnie and Roxy paused in front of Ben and Callum, each of them squeezing their step-nephew's shoulders in a show of support.

"Can I have a word, Katy?" Ben requested in a broken, gravelly tone.

"Sure." She agreed, a little confused. "I'll catch you up."

As the others made their way slowly towards the Vic, Ben motioned for his boyfriend to give them a moment. Katy watched as Callum moved away to give them some privacy, before tentatively perching beside her cousin on the bench.

"Callum said you gave him some advice."

Katy chuckled. "I tried."

"He said you told him to fight, if he thought I was worth it." Ben told her. Katy looked away for a moment, before shrugging and meeting his gaze again. "Thank you."

"Like I told him, we're family."

"He also said that I should apologise for whatever I did that's pissed you off so spectacularly."

Snorting, Katy smirked. "You're not gonna, though, are ya?"

"Course not."

"It's not like you would even know where to start. Hell, I wouldn't know where you should start."

"Exactly."

"Look… like your Gran told me, Mitchells put each other before anything or anyone else. Maybe you should change that and put Callum first. He's a good one, Ben, and, despite the fact that you are a complete and utter prick, he seems to really love you."

"Yeah…"

"Are you OK?"

"Stupid question. I'm not even allowed to say goodbye to my step-brother."

"I know. I'm sorry." Standing up, Katy smiled softly and punched him lightly on the arm. "We'll be in the Vic if you fancy a drink later."

"Ow… there are better signs of affection than punching me."

"We're not really at the hugging stage, are we?" She pointed out. "But the drink offer still stands."

Leaving him alone in the gardens, passing Callum as she went, Katy made her way to join her family in the pub. They had already commandeered a booth and were making short work of a bottle of wine. Katy rolled her eyes, commenting that they could have at least got her a glass, before leaning against the bar. Tracey produced a wine glass before she could even open her mouth, laughing as Katy announced she was the only person who thought about her.

"So? Was Ben OK?"

"He was… subdued." Katy said thoughtfully. "I think he genuinely misses Dennis."

"I can't believe Sharon banned us all from the poxy funeral." Roxy muttered irritably.

"She's grieving." Ronnie murmured gently. "I can't imagine what she's going through."

"Uhh… James?" Her sister pointed out without thinking. "Danielle?"

"Rox!" Katy blinked at her, before turning nervously to her mother.

Ronnie took a steadying breath. "It's different. Danielle wasn't really my daughter and I barely knew her, anyway. James… I never had the chance to get to know him. Not that… But Sharon had Dennis for thirteen years…"

Reaching out, Katy grasped her mother's hand tightly. "It's OK."

"Sorry, I didn't mean…" Roxy winced, realising that she'd been insensitive.

"It's fine, Rox, I know you didn't." Her sister assured her with a warm smile.

They chatted, almost forgetting why they were there, until people started arriving for the wake. Sharon pointedly ignored them, settling herself at a booth on the other side of the pub, near the buffet. Most people didn't comment on their presence or the fact that they hadn't been at the funeral service, although they did get a few strange looks. Kathy popped over to check they weren't intending to make a scene about being banned earlier and Ronnie assured her that they were there to pay their respects and nothing more.

They fell silent along with everyone else as Sharon started kicking off at Linda before storming out. Katy felt even worse for the landlady, remembering the events of the other day. During the shocked silence that followed the outburst, Roxy muttered that she'd go and collect the kids before darting out of the pub.

"Great… the only day she's ever volunteered to do the school run is the one when the tension in here is uncomfortable." Ronnie muttered, shaking her head.

"Typical Rox." Katy agreed.

Seeing that their latest bottle of wine was empty, she offered to get them another. Tracey motioned that she'd be with her as soon as possible and Katy smiled and nodded in understanding. While she was waiting, she cast her eyes around the room lazily, wondering whether a lot of the regulars had chosen to stay away because of the wake.

"Deaf? Are you deaf?" Katy caught the question, turning and catching Ash's mum sitting with Ben and Callum. "My grandmother was deaf when she wanted to be." As Ben tried to move, she caught his arm. "Just tell your friend I was just saying how sorry I am."

"You can tell him yourself if you want." Callum replied. "You've just got to speak quite clearly."

"Our condolences. Your family are in our prayers."

Katy caught sight of the expression on Ben's face and spoke before she'd really thought about it, unable to suppress the sudden need to deflect unwanted attention away from him. "Yeah? Gotta say that don't really mean anything coming from someone who lied about having cancer."

"Katy…" Callum looked shocked at her words, but Ben's attention snapped to her at once.

"No? Sorry, you're right. _I'm_ being out of order." She apologised sarcastically. The relief that had appeared in her cousin's eyes, now that he wasn't the focus of their attention, spurred her on. "Must be the attitude I acquired in all those months I spent on chemo wards trying not to die and leave my kids motherless. You know what I'm talking about, right?" She pointed at the woman on the seat beside Ben. "Except, oh no, you don't because you _lied_ about it."

The woman made a hasty retreat, allowing Katy to drop into her recently vacated seat with a self-satisfied smirk. She caught the expression of disapproval on Callum's face and rolled her eyes, nudging Ben gently in the ribs.

"I don't think your boyfriend approves."

"It was a bit rude, Katy." Callum pointed out.

"Yeah? Well lying about having cancer is downright despicable. Shirley told me she weren't even ashamed; just pissed off everyone thought she'd done something terrible." Katy retorted angrily.

"She's got a point." Ben agreed lazily, shrugging. "At least Katy got her to go away."

"Ben, look… if people are talking a bit fast–"

"I don't need your help."

Callum shook his head. "No, no. I know. I'm just saying–"

"Am I not allowed to just be sad for Dennis?" Ben snapped.

"Alright, Ben, I'm sorry–"

"I'm not just the poor disabled bloke, you know? Big man… you gonna save me again, are you Callum? Get over yourself."

As he roughly pushed past Katy to get away from his boyfriend, Callum called after him. It was pointless because Ben simply ignored him and carried on. Standing up, Katy moved to collect the bottle of wine that Tracey had placed on the bar for her.

Before she joined her mother and grandmother, she paused. "I tried to tell you… he don't need his hand holding and he ain't gonna thank you for it. Just treat him like you did before he lost his hearing. He ain't changed. It's the way everyone else is treating him that's changed."


	79. Chapter 79

"Hello again." Katy leant on the bar and smirked at the man who had just entered the R&R and slid onto a barstool. "Not brought your son this time?"

"No, not this time." He agreed with a chuckle.

"We still ain't got no Glenmorangie, so you'll have to stick with Glenfiddich."

"I'm beginning to prefer it."

"And I still ain't interested in financial management." She added, sliding the double measure across the bar.

"I'll try not to be too offended."

"K, I've got Rox on the phone wondering if they can borrow a case of vodka until tomorrow." Tina wandered over, concentrating on the stock list in her hands. "We've got enough so I can run it over if–"

"Yeah, yeah, that's fine." Her boss agreed quickly. "Can you also remind her that she needs to pick up the kids from Dad's at nine because I bet she's forgotten."

"Sure." The brunette's gaze was focused on the man sitting opposite her friend. "Hi, I'm Tina."

"Graham." He replied, holding his hand out to shake the one extended in his direction. Katy was slightly relieved to be reminded of his name because it had slipped her mind. "Pleased to meet you."

"Right, so… I'll just head over to Ruby's, then?"

"Sure." Katy agreed easily, knowing that she would be in for a grilling later on.

"I've got a proposition for you." Graham said as soon as Tina had left.

Katy arched an eyebrow suspiciously. "What kind of proposition?"

"Nothing untoward, I assure you." He chuckled at her expression. "I've got an awards dinner tomorrow night and I'd like you to accompany me."

"Uhhh? Why?"

"Aside from the obvious, you intrigue me. I feel like there's a lot more to you than meets the eye."

"And what's the obvious?" She demanded, her temper rising as she thought about what he might mean.

"You're beautiful." Graham replied casually. "You must know that? Turning up at the dinner with a young woman who looks like you won't hurt my standing."

"That's a bit sexist, isn't it?"

"Maybe; it's true though." He pointed out.

Katy glared at him for a moment. "Say I agree. What's in it for me? You get to spend the evening with me, but what do I get out of it?"

There was a pause as he considered her for a moment. "What d'you want to get out of it?" When she didn't reply, simply continued to stare at him, he chuckled. "There could be financial benefits–"

"What, exactly, do you think I am?" Katy demanded, offended at the assumption.

"I can assure you that I'm in no way insinuating that you're a prostitute."

"Yeah, well, you better not be." Katy folded her arms. "At the moment I ain't seeing that there's much in this for me at all."

"So why are you still considering it?" When she frowned, unable to come up with a reason to give him, he smiled. "I think you're tempted."

"You ain't even told me when and where, yet?"

"I'll pick you up here tomorrow at seven."

"Oh, yeah, right." She rolled her eyes. "Not even telling me where it is? That's actually really helping me make up my mind to say no."

"What? You think I'm going to murder you?"

Katy arched an eyebrow. "Try it and see what happens."

Graham laughed. "So? Tomorrow at seven?"

"You still haven't told me where it is?"

"It's at the Cafe De Paris in the West End." He told her casually.

At the mention of the venue, Katy had to fight to keep the impressed expression off her face. "Well I ain't got anything nearly fancy enough to wear somewhere like that."

Standing up and tucking his wallet back into his jacket pocket, Graham smiled. "Don't worry about that. I'll see you tomorrow."

Katy watched him leave in slight bemusement. She leant against the bar and furrowed her eyebrows, mentally sorting through her wardrobe for something suitable to wear. It wasn't until Tina physically jabbed her in the ribs that she realised her friend had returned from Ruby's and clearly wanted to know what had been going on.

"So… is it a date?" Tina asked, frowning at the blonde as she finished explaining.

"No." Katy shook her head quickly. "At least I don't _think_ so?"

"So it is like… I mean, he said he'd pay you, right? Is this your _Pretty Woman_ moment?"

"I'm not a hooker!"

"Yeah, obviously I know that, but–"

"Tina, drop it, yeah." Katy muttered as a group noisily entered the bar and headed for them.

* * *

By lunchtime the next day, Katy still hadn't made up her mind about whether she was going to the awards dinner or not. She'd hunted through her wardrobe (and everyone else's in the house) looking for anything that would be fancy enough to wear, but not managed to find anything remotely suitable. That had put her in a bad mood and she was seriously considering refusing to go.

"Hey?"

"What?" She snapped, furrowing her eyebrows at Isaac as he moved to sit in the chair opposite hers.

After a long morning ignoring Tina's questions, she had escaped to the café for some lunch and some peace and quiet. She'd stopped in at home on the way, but discovered that Amy and Ricky were also there and that the chances of a bit of quiet were infinitesimal, so decided to head straight out again.

"I said I'm sorry." He reminded her. "I was having a really bad day and Patrick and I are past it."

"That ain't the point, Isaac. I've got enough arseholes in my life… I don't need another one."

"I promise you, I'm not an arsehole."

"What does it matter, anyway?" She asked him with a sigh. "I thought this was just a bit of fun. Maybe it's run its course and stopped being fun now."

"Well maybe somewhere along the way I realised that I actually quite like you." He told her bluntly. "Maybe somewhere along the way I decided that I don't want it to just be a bit of fun."

Putting her head in her hands, Katy exhaled sharply. "Isaac… don't do this. Seriously, don't."

"Why not? Would it be so terrible if we gave this a proper go?"

"I can't… I don't have the headspace for this right now, OK?" She tried to make her voice and her expression a little softer. "I've got the kids, the bar, a potential custody battle… you don't need to get involved with me at the moment."

"Surely that's my decision."

"Well I'm taking it out of your hands." Katy informed him. "Look, Isaac… I heard what happened in the Vic. That Shelley might not have said anything yet, but I wouldn't put it past her and I can't guarantee that I won't have another go at her the drop of a hat. You need to think about your career… I ain't good for you."

"Again, my decision." He pointed out.

"Isaac, please…"

"Fine, I'll leave it for now." He replied holding up his hands. "But this ain't over, Mitchell."

As he left the café, Katy let out a huff of frustration and gathered her things. She smiled weakly at Marie as she passed, heading quickly back to the R&R before she could bump into anyone else.

"You're back!"

"Yes? So?"

Tina beamed at her the second she crossed the threshold, clearly excited about something. When the brunette simply shrugged and folded her arms, Katy sent her a frown and headed up the stairs towards her office. She said nothing as her friend followed her.

"Uhhh… what's this?" Katy wrinkled her nose at the clothes bag hanging on the back of her office door.

Tina shrugged, leaning against the desk and smirking at her. "It was dropped off for you while you were out by a guy who looked like he was either a chauffer or a hit man. They came with it."

Katy followed her pointing finger towards the shoebox on the sofa. Her mouth dropped open at the writing on the lid and she snatched it off to reveal what was inside.

"T… these are Manolo Blahniks." She pointed out needlessly, pulling out the left shoe. "These cost a ridiculous amount of money."

"Let's see the dress, then!" The brunette demanded excitedly, motioning towards the bag.

Almost reluctantly, Katy unzipped it. She pushed back the sides to reveal the dress properly. It was short and emerald green, with long, floaty pleated sleeves and Katy was sure that it was more expensive than anything she had ever owned in her entire live. Tina gaped, before moving forward and touching it, almost reverentially.

"This is designer, too." She breathed. "Are you gonna wear it?"

"I don't really have much choice." Katy pointed out, shaking her head. "I don't own anything remotely like this."

"This is so exciting!" Tina told her with a grin. "Who'd have thought it, eh? You going to some flash party in a designer dress."

"Yeah, well… I still don't know if I'm gonna go."

"Course you are." Her friend rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, K? How often does someone with cash come round here and start splashing out on expensive presents? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, yeah?"


	80. Chapter 80

Against her better judgement, Katy had put on the dress and shoes and done her hair and makeup. Tina had gushed over her appearance as she'd descended the stairs into the lower bar, self-consciously tugging on the hem of the dress, which stopped at the middle of her thighs. Batting her hands away, Tina pulled out her phone and snapped a couple of photos, much to the blonde's irritation.

"I still don't know about this, T."

"You look gorgeous."

"That's not my point. I don't know if I should be going."

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"_Really_?"

"OK, but you just need to stop thinking the worst about everything and everyone for two minutes and go and enjoy yourself."

There was no time for Katy to talk herself out of it any more as the door opened and Graham stood in the doorway, dressed in an obviously expensive suit. He looked Katy up and down, a grin on his face as he took in her outfit.

"You decided to wear it, then?"

"Didn't have much choice." She muttered.

"Go and have fun." Tina ordered, pushing her friend gently towards the door. "Don't do anything I wouldn't."

Katy glared at her as she was ushered into the back of a large, expensive car. Graham got in the other side and they started moving before Katy could really comprehend that she was being chauffer driven.

"Look… I dunno what the deal is, here, but this ain't some _Pretty Woman_ thing." She announced, remembering Tina's take on the situation. "I ain't gonna sleep with you just because you can buy me some expensive dress and shoes." Graham laughed, irritating her as she assumed that he was dismissing her words. "I mean it."

"I understand." He agreed with a nod. "That's not what's going on here. I have no intention of sleeping with you."

"You don't?"

"Don't look so surprised. Have I ever given you that impression?"

"Uhhh… you said I was beautiful, you bought me the outfit and you're whisking me off to some fancy party in the West End."

"Right and that means that I must be intending to sleep with you."

Katy was genuinely confused. "Well… that's normally the intention. I mean, a bloke buys you one drink and that's normally the intention."

He chuckled. "Well, I can assure you that it's not _my_ intention. I mean, you're probably the same age as my daughter."

"So… what is this about, then?" She asked him. "I mean… this must have cost a pretty penny and I don't see what you're getting in return?"

"Put plainly, I'm tired of going to these events on my own." Graham admitted. "When I came to your bar with Scott I immediately noticed that you were beautiful. Then, when I spoke to you and realised you owned the bar, it struck me that you had brains as well as beauty."

"Right…"

"Going to this dinner with you on my arm would make the entire thing bearable."

"That's it?"

He nodded. "That's it. Trust me, a £700 pair of shoes is a small price to pay."

"Fucking hell!" Katy looked down at her feet in astonishment. "£700?"

"As I said, it's a small price to pay."

The blonde considered what he'd said for a moment. "Is this gonna be one of them things with a load of old guys showing off their younger wives and girlfriends?"

"I prefer middle aged."

"Oh, sorry… no offence." She winced at her own tactlessness. "You know what I mean though."

"I do and yes, you're right."

"So… I pretend to be your girlfriend so you can show off to your mates and I get to take the piss out of their girlfriends?"

"Not to their faces, please."

"OK… I think I can work with that."

When they arrived at the venue, Katy had to work hard to hide how awestruck she was. She had never been anywhere quite so impressive and the way Graham didn't seem to have any of the same feelings about their current surroundings put her slightly on edge. As he placed his hand lightly on the small of her back and propelled her into the building, pausing to show his invitation to the bouncer at the door, Katy suddenly felt very unsure of herself.

They had only been in the room where the ceremony was taking place for long enough to get a drink when Graham was drawn into conversation with a couple of men who were obviously colleagues of his. Katy smiled weakly, sipping her drink and looking around uneasily.

"… haven't met before, have we?"

Graham nudged Katy surreptitiously in the ribs, signalling that she was being addressed personally. "Uhh… no." She shook her head, smiling quickly. "I don't think so."

"Robin Heaverman." He replied, holding out his hand.

Forcing herself not to react when he pressed a kiss to the back of hers instead of simply shaking it, Katy smiled. "Katy Mitchell."

"So, Katy, what is it you do?

Not appreciating the patronising tone he had adopted or the way he was looking her up and down, she arched an eyebrow. "I run R&R in Walford. It's–"

"Ah, you're a barmaid." The man chuckled, cutting her off and winking at Graham.

"No, actually, I _own_ the bar." She informed him irritably. "I've worked bloody hard to get where I am and I don't need you looking down your nose at me. Don't even bother with the condescending congratulations, either."

"Did you say you were from Walford?" He asked, glancing at Graham, as though for confirmation. "Oh… you're a _Mitchell_."

"Said so, didn't I?" Katy muttered.

There was a pause, before Robin leant in and said something in a low voice to Graham, before turning and striding away though the crowd. With a chuckle, the man turned to meet Katy's gaze, smiling at the unimpressed expression on her face. As Katy's eyebrow rose slowly, daring him to make a comment he motioned towards a passing waiter to hand them fresh glasses of Prosecco.

"What did he say to you?" Katy demanded.

"He asked if I knew what I was doing." Graham told her simply.

To his immense surprise, the young woman simply shrugged. "He's got a point. _Do_ you know what you're doing?"

"I'm pretty sure I understand our arrangement quite well."

"That's alright, then."

* * *

Furrowing her eyebrows as Ronnie appeared in the kitchen, sweaty and dishevelled from her run, Katy moved out of the way of the fridge, allowing her mother to grab a chilled bottle of water. The older blonde watched her for a moment, wondering whether her next question would be met with irritation.

"So… where were you last night?"

"I told you, I had to go and check out a DJ for the bar."

"Mmmhmmm…"

"What?" Katy muttered, dropping her gaze to her coffee mug.

"No, nothing." Ronnie shook her head. "It's just that Tina mentioned something about an awards ceremony?"

"Huh?" Her daughter screwed up her nose. "What?"

"I mean… if R&R was up for an award you'd obviously tell me, right?"

"Right." Katy assured her with a firm nod. Seeing the sceptical expression on her face, the younger blonde rolled her eyes. "Mum, of course I would. If R&R _ever_ got put up for an award I wouldn't want anyone else there with me. OK?"

"So… were you with Isaac?"

"Mum!"

"What? I thought it was an actual thing now? Mum said that Kathy told her that everyone's discussing it in the caf."

"Wonderful." Katy rolled her eyes irritably. "But no, it's not a thing. Whatever it was… it's over."

Ronnie exhaled sharply. "Baby…"

"You tired of being Dad's guilty little secret yet?"

"Katy."

"What, Mum?" Her daughter sighed tiredly. "You don't want me questioning things in your life, that's fine. I'll stay out of your life if you stay out of mine."

"You know that's not what I want."

"Well it's what I want, OK?"

"Katy–"

"Just drop it." Katy ordered, standing up and stalking away.

Ronnie stared after her as she closed their shared bedroom door with a thump. Rubbing the back of her neck thoughtfully, she took another long gulp from her water bottle before heading to the bathroom for a shower.

Rushing through getting ready, she was out of the flat and making her way towards R&R before Katy had opened the bedroom door. Tina looked up from restocking the fridges and smiled at her boss' mother.

"Oh, hey… Katy's not in yet."

"No, I know." Ronnie agreed. "She's at home in a foul mood."

"What? Why? Did last night not go well?"

"That," the blonde leant her elbows on the bar and smiled, "is what I was hoping you could tell me."

"I dunno what you mean?" Tina furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"I think you do, Tina. I think you know exactly where my daughter was last night who she was with. There's something she's not telling me and where Katy's concerned that is _never_ a good thing."

"This time I think maybe it is?"

Ronnie smirked triumphantly. "So there is something and you know what it is."

"I… uhh…"

"Come on, Tina, you might as well tell me because I'm going to find out one way or another."

* * *

**_A/N: Hi guys! I hope everyone is staying well and as upbeat as possible during these strange times._**

**_Thank you for your patience with me - being on lockdown should mean more time to write but I'm a teacher and teaching from home apparently takes up even more time than normal! _**

**_I'm doing my best to write and update as much as I can. Thank you for your lovely comments - I really enjoy reading your thoughts and predictions about what might be coming!_**

**_Stay safe,_**

**_x_**


	81. Chapter 81

"Katy? Can I have a word?" Kush called along the street, jogging to catch up with her as she strode in the direction of the bar.

"Uhhh… is it important?" She glanced at her phone. "I need to–"

"I just wanted to ask you a quick question about… well, about Ruby and Ricky."

"OK?" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "They done something?"

"No, no… nothing like that." He held his hands up quickly at the frown on her face. "At least I don't think so." Kush shifted, slightly awkwardly. "They like Tommy, right? Get on well with him?"

Katy looked at him carefully. "_Have_ they done something?"

Kush took her gently by the elbow and pulled her into the café. As he went to get them a coffee each, Katy glanced at the time and sighed. Deciding that he evidently needed someone to talk to with Kat away, slightly confused about why he had chosen her, the blonde settled herself in her seat and waited for him to join her.

"Tommy's having a tough time at school." Kush informed her finally, wrapping his hands around his mug and looking uneasy. "He didn't want me to say anything, but I thought maybe you might have heard something from Ruby or Ricky?"

It was Katy's turn to look a little guilty at that. "I've been a bit… I'll speak to them after school and see if I can find anything out. What exactly has been going on?"

"He's really struggling with the work and the other children have picked up on it. They're calling him names and really making things miserable for him."

Katy smiled weakly, nodding slowly at him. "I'll have a word with them later. If they're anything to do with it I'll make sure they stop."

"Thanks." He smiled and shook his head. "It's so tough with Kat away… he make me promise I would tell her, Jean or Mo…"

"Poor kid. I know it sounds weird but after everything that happened when he was a baby… he kinda feels like family, you know? If there's anything I can do to help, just tell me." She shrugged and wrapped her hands around her mug. "Can't they put anything in place for him? Maybe if you had a quiet word with Isaac, now he's working there–"

"Could you talk to him? I mean, you and him _are_…"

"No, Kush, I don't think that would help Tommy's case much." Katy told him, arching an eyebrow. "You're much better off speaking to him yourself."

He nodded thoughtfully for a moment. "So… how are you? Jean mentioned you were having problems with Tyler?"

"How does Jean know?"

"I think Shirley said something…"

"Course she did."

"Anything I can do?"

She smiled warmly. "Thanks Kush, but unless you know a way of getting me out of going to mediation without risking affecting my chances in a custody battle, then probably not."

"He wants to do mediation?"

Katy shook her head. "I ain't heard nothing for a while, but I ain't stupid enough to think he's just dropped it. Tyler won't just let this go… I just don't like that it's gone quiet."

"You're worried he's planning something?"

"I'm worried he's doing some digging." She admitted. Then she shrugged and smiled. "Although he knows me well enough already, I suppose."

Kush looked worried. "Are you sure this ain't just something you can work out between you?"

"Sadly I don't think so." Katy reached out and squeezed his arm. "Don't worry about me. You've got enough to think about between Tommy and Whit. Let me know if there's anything I can do… apart from talking to Isaac."

"Yeah, I will do. Thanks, Katy."

Wrinkling her nose as he left, Katy wondered how to go about speaking to the children about what was happening with Tommy. She decided to tackle Ruby first, guessing that her daughter would be more receptive to the conversation than her brother.

The day passed relatively normally. Tina had immediately apologised, claiming that Ronnie had dragged the information about her whereabouts the evening before. Katy had simply sighed and waved her apologies away, knowing that if her mother had made up her mind to find out the truth, nothing Tina could say would put her off.

Ronnie herself, however, was conspicuous by her absence. That, in itself, worried her daughter, but she didn't have time to spend worrying about what her mother was getting up to. She spent the day prepping for the following week, hoping that she would be able to take a little time off to spend with the children during the Easter holidays.

Waiting until she knew Glenda would have got home with the children, Katy informed Kathy that she was going out for a bit. Glancing at her phone, frowning as she realised she had a couple of messages from Graham, the blonde pushed the handset into her back pocket and let herself into the house.

"Gran… I need to borrow Ruby for a bit." She told her, pressing a kiss to the top of the older woman's head.

"Borrow? She's your daughter, Katherine. Not that you'd know considering the amount of time you actually spend with them."

Rolling her eyes, wondering what had put her grandmother into such a bad mood this time, Katy sighed. "I know, I know… I'm working on taking time off over the holidays, OK? Then you can go and get your nails done or whatever in peace."

"Unlikely considering you'll be getting Kathy to cover for you."

"I can't win, can I?"

"Not today, no."

"Excellent. I'll see you later."

As Glenda huffed irritably, Katy grinned before going in search of her eldest daughter. Finding her sitting at the kitchen table with her iPad, the blonde crouched beside her and gently nudged the eight-year-old. Ruby turned to look at her, the expression of slight suspicion on her face entirely familiar to her mother.

"Hi?"

"Hey, sweetpea. Fancy a milkshake over the caf?"

"What've I done?"

Katy laughed. "Nothing, sweetheart. I just need to talk to you about something, that's all."

"OK… what've _you_ done?"

"Oi!" Her mother nudged her again. "Milkshake or not?"

"Might as well."

"I mean, if you've got big plans…?"

"You're not funny, Mum."

Laughing, Katy kissed the side of her head before straightening up. "Come on."

They wandered around the gardens together, Katy asking questions about how things were going at school. A wave of guilt washed over her as she listened to her daughter's replies, realising that she really knew nothing about her children's lives at the moment.

"So… what did you want to talk about?"

Katy jumped as her daughter's question cut through her thoughts. "Go and sit down, I'll get the drinks."

In a few minutes she was settling herself opposite Ruby, watching as the little girl immediately started on her milkshake. "Rubes… I need to talk to you about Tommy."

"Why? What's stupid Tommy said?"

"Ruby!" Katy was shocked at her daughter's words.

"What? He is stupid. He can't even read properly."

Exhaling deeply, Katy thought about how to best tackle her daughter's insensitivity. She knew that it was something she'd inherited from the females in their family, herself included, but was inclined to blame the amount of time that the eight-year-old spent with Glenda, rather than facing up to her own failings.

"Ruby, Tommy's really upset that you and everyone else is being horrible to him. He can't help that he finds reading hard. How would you feel?"

"I dunno… but I'm really clever, so it doesn't matter."

"Too clever for your own good." Her mother muttered. "That's not the point, Ruby. You're being really unkind. I want you to make an effort to be nice to Tommy from now on. Maybe he can come to the cinema or something with us in the holidays?"

Ruby made a disgruntled sound. "Why? We never get to spend any time with you. Why do we have to take _him_ with us?"

Guilt surged through Katy. "I know and I'm really, really sorry about that, baby. I'm going to do my best to change things from now on, OK? But I really do want you to be nice to Tommy."

"But why?"

Pausing for a moment, her mother considered her words carefully. "OK… I'm only going to tell you this as long as you promise not to tell anyone else, OK? And only because I know you're grown up enough to understand how important it is that you do as you're told."

"What?"

"Before you were born, Grandma and Grandad had a baby, who died–"

"Uncle James, I know."

Katy nodded slowly. "Yeah. Well… Grandad Jack was away and Grandma was so upset and scared that she didn't know what she was doing."

"She had a breakdown?"

"Sort of..." Katy agreed, not dwelling on the fact that the eight-year-old knew what a breakdown was. "Well, she did something really, really stupid and she's regretted it ever since. She went to prison for doing it and, even though she got better and would never do anything like that again, she still feels guilty."

"What did she do?"

"She pretended that Tommy was her baby and that James was Kat's." Her mother told her gently. "They were born on the same day and no one would have known. But Grandma knew that it was wrong and she kept trying to tell people, but because she was so ill it was too hard."

Ruby furrowed her eyebrows, thinking hard. "So… you thought Tommy was your brother?"

"I did, yeah."

"But… how did you find out."

"Grandma told the truth. She gave Tommy back to Kat and she said she was sorry. She told the police everything and she went to prison because it was so, so wrong."

"So, if she hadn't told the truth… you'd still think Tommy was your brother."

Katy nodded slowly. "Yeah, I would."

"Is that why you want me to be nice to him?"

"Sort of." Her mother agreed. "But also because it's not his fault he finds school hard. He's really upset about everything, Rubes, and he needs some friends to stick up for him. You used to be friends, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

"So? Can you do this for me? Can you watch out for Tommy?"

"Fine. But I want popcorn and a Tango Blast at the cinema. Big ones."

"God, you're a Mitchell, ain't ya?"

"And what?"

Laughing, Katy shook her head. Then she sent her daughter a serious look. "Ruby… please keep what I told you about Grandma a secret. I don't want it being dragged back up and upsetting her. No one else needs to remember what happened."

"OK." The little girl nodded seriously. "I promise."

* * *

"Right, guys, seriously…" Katy sighed exasperatedly as she herded all the children into the café on Monday morning. "Can you just not… I've got a busy day and the last thing I need is you lot kicking off over holiday club, alright? We're already running really late."

"I can help out." Amy suggested, peering hopefully up at her sister. "I mean, I already work at the R&R."

"I don't think so, kiddo."

"Mum, you _promised_ that you would take the holidays off to spend time with us." Ruby reminded her accusingly.

"I know, baby, I know!" She admitted, holding up her hands in surrender. "I just need to go into work today and then I'm off for the rest of the holidays, OK?"

"This is so unfair!"

As Ruby flounced off to join the others who were climbing all over one of the booths, her mother rolled for eyes and glanced down at the one child not causing any sort of commotion. Sophie smiled up at her as Katy smoothed a hand through her hair.

"Why can't they all be like you, hmm, angel?"

"You've got some nerve, I'll grant you that." Jean's voice caught her attention and she looked up interestedly.

"Jean…" Kush said in a warning tone.

"Excuse me?"

Katy's lips quirked into a grin as she realised who the older woman was speaking to. Ushering Sophie over to join the others out of harm's way, she folded her arms and leant back against the counter. Suki looked between them, her expression thoroughly unimpressed.

"Have you got no shame?" Jean continued, ignoring Kush's sigh. "You brazenly walk round here as if you own the place."

"I think you need to calm down, Jean."

"She's alright, mate." Kush informed Kheerat quietly, nudging Katy in the ribs as she snorted. "Just…"

"How can you, in all honesty, defend your mother?" Jean demanded. "Everyone round here knows what you did. They might be nice to your face, but underneath it all they don't mean it. You'll realise that soon enough."

"I think we need to get on."

"Why? Got a chemo session to get to?" Katy asked with sarcastic concern.

As they left, Kush shot her a look. "Did you really have to say that?"

"What?" She shrugged, glancing towards the older woman. "Jean's right… she's a bloody disgrace."

"Yeah, well…"

"Anyway," Katy rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "I've spoken to Ruby and it's sorted. She'll be looking out for Tommy from now on."

Kush looked a little concerned, but was prevented from answering as Jean mumbled something about hot cross buns and Whitney and propelled him from the café.

"Katy? Six packed lunches."

"Thanks, Marie, you're a gem." She smiled at her and accepted the bag of food the woman had rustled up for her, before turning to the corner where the kids had gathered. "Come on you lot, I've got stuff to do."

"Why didn't you make us lunch?" Ricky groused, peering into the bag and frowning.

"Because I didn't have time." Katy told him bluntly. "Also, Gran seems to have done a disappearing act, Mum and Dad are busy and fu– who knows where Roxy is."


	82. Chapter 82

"Drink tonight?"

"Isaac… leave it. I'm really busy, today." She sighed tiredly. "I've got your mum's birthday party and about a hundred and one other things to deal with…"

"So what if I pop into mum's party and buy you a drink?"

"Isaac…"

"Please, just one drink."

"Alright, fine. One drink." Katy agreed almost reluctantly. "But it doesn't mean anything, alright? It's just a drink."

"Understood." He grinned at her brightly. "Wish me luck."

"With what?"

"I'm going for a couple of drinks with Patrick… Mum asked me to."

Katy arched an eyebrow at him. "Yeah? I hope you're gonna keep your temper under control and show him a bit of respect this time."

"Yeah, yeah… I was out of order. I know that."

"Good. As long as you're aware." She smirked slightly. "I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah, you will." Isaac agreed, grinning at her, before heading away. He glanced back over his shoulder and shot her a wink as he headed towards Walford East.

Katy shook her head and continued over to the R&R. Tina had already warned her that it was raucous, not having expected Sheree's birthday party to have caused quite so much of a commotion. Her assistant manager was clearly thoroughly enjoying herself when Katy arrived. Tina was singing and dancing along with Sheree and Karen on the karaoke, making the blonde laugh and swat at her as she joined her behind the bar.

"You having a good time?"

They watched as Mo took the microphone, the opening strains of _Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!_ met their ears. Katy laughed and shook her head, motioning that she was heading up to the office and checking that Tina would be OK on her own. She could guess the answer before it came, watching the brunette immediately heading over to join the party with a jug of cocktail in each hand.

"I wondered when you'd make an appearance."

"Jesus!" Katy jumped, a hand clutching her chest at the sight of her mother sitting at her desk as though she owned it. "What?"

"Been off with Graham?"

"Mum…? What are you talking about?" Dropping her jacket on the sofa, Katy moved towards her, wafting her hands in a silent request for Ronnie to move. "I had to get the kids over to holiday club."

"Yeah… three hours ago."

"Where were you, anyway?"

"I had an early start. Don't turn this back on me."

"I honestly don't see why you're so interested in Graham, Mum… unless you fancy having an affair with him as well?"

Ronnie scowled at her. "Shut up, Katy."

"What? I thought you wanted me to talk?"

"This isn't about me and you know that." The older woman told her, leaning her palms on the desk and scowling at her daughter. "What the hell are you playing at? You know nothing about this guy and he's buying you designer outfits and taking off you to god knows where with no one knowing? You can't just run around doing–"

"Leave it out." Katy rolled her eyes. "You can't waltz in here and tell me what to do, Mum. I'm an adult."

"You're my _daughter_ and I have to–"

"Let's not get into this, Mum, eh?" Katy suggested meaningfully. "This conversation never ends well, does it?"

Exhaling sharply, Ronnie attempted to mould her expression into one of concern. "Sweetie, surely you understand why I'm concerned? A guy turns up out of the blue, throws some money at you and you do… well, god knows what you did for that dress and those shoes!"

"What the hell are you insinuating?" Her daughter snarled, standing up so sharply that her chair skittered backwards.

"Surely I don't have to spell it out, Katy? He's old enough to be your father and he's _paying_ you to spend time with him!"

"Get out!"

"You are so much better than this. If word gets out that you're–"

"That I'm _what_? What, exactly, are you accusing me of doing? I can assure you that Graham did not lay a single finger on me… and that he wouldn't have any fingers left if he'd tried anything."

"So what is all this about?" Ronnie demanded.

"It's not _about_ anything. It was just… I'm so fed up of working my ass off and missing out on what's going on with the kids or spending more time with the kids and things getting out of control here."

"So you decided to do something stupid to distract you from the kids _and_ the bar?"

Katy scowled at her. "Like you can talk. At least I got a seven hundred quid dress and some designer shoes out of my stupid decision. What've you got? You're having an affair with your ex-husband and sharing a room with your twenty-seven-year-old daughter!"

"Don't you dare–"

"Seriously, Mum… I know what I'm doing."

"Do you?"

"Have a bit of faith in me, yeah?"

Ronnie exhaled, shaking her head. "Shouldn't you be worrying about Tyler and this custody battle?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Katy muttered irritably, dropping back into her chair. "I can't do anything about it until Ritchie hears something. He's made all these threats and just gone silent. It's pathetic."

"You think he's just saying it for effect?"

"Yeah, actually, I do."

"So Tyler isn't the reason you've broken things off with Isaac?"

"What? No."

Ronnie arched an eyebrow. "Your Dad said Isaac told Denise he really likes you."

"That's on him."

"I think you should give him a chance. He's got a good job, he genuinely seems to like you… why are you making this so hard?"

Putting her head in her hands, Katy kicked the desk irritably. "He is a _teacher_, Mum. I almost got him into trouble by opening my big gob on the playground. How compatible are a _teacher_ and a _Mitchell_. Honestly?"

"You cannot let that stop you being happy, Katy. You are worth so much more than–"

"Right… so you're not telling yourself that being Dad's dirty little secret is no more than you deserve because _you're_ a Mitchell?"

"The situations are totally different!" Ronnie told her angrily. Her voice was raised and shrill, her annoyance shining through. "I love your father, Katy. If I hadn't left…"

The younger blonde stood up and rounded the desk, moving to stand in front of her. "You really think that you and Dad would have stayed together? We are not built for stable, lasting relationships. How many times does everything have to come crashing down around us for that to sink in?"

"It's my fault that we're not together properly. I faked my death on our wedding day and disappeared for years. Of course he was going to move on with his life. He just needs to figure out how to end things without upsetting her."

Katy shook her head, almost amused. "You're not stupid, Mum. Do you realise how pathetic you sound? How many times have you been on and off? If Dad really wanted you, he wouldn't still be with Denise."

There was a loud cracking sound and white-hot pain spread across Katy's cheek. She blinked several times, seeing the shock and remorse spreading over her mother's face. As Ronnie reached out, tears springing to her eyes, the younger woman shook her head and took a step back.

"Where's that fire where Dad's concerned?" She demanded angrily. "I deserved that. We both know that I deserved that. But we also both know that you deserve far more than being someone's dirty little secret, something to be hidden and denied and abandoned when it doesn't suit him."

"I don't know what to do." Ronnie admitted quietly. "I don't… I love him, Katy."

"Yeah, I know. But will you still love him as much if him and Denise break up or will you get bored immediately?"

"I thought you said I deserved better than sneaking around keeping secrets."

"I did and you do." Katy agreed. "But do _you_ believe that?"

"What?"

"Mum… you're getting all wound up because you think I should give things a go with Isaac, rather than Graham. But you're quite happy to let Dad mess you around. You can't dish out advice and not take it yourself."

"You're right." Ronnie exhaled and retreated to the sofa. "I know you're right."

"So we need to do something about it, then." Katy pointed out, moving to sit beside her. "I think you should end things with Dad. If he's serious about wanting you back, he'll break up with Denise. If not… well, at least you'll know."

"If I do that, then you need to stop all this nonsense with that Graham and see where things go with Isaac."

"Mum, I don't–"

"Don't tell me you don't like him. I can tell you do."

"Alright, alright!" Katy huffed, holding her hands up defensively. "You dump Dad and I'll give Isaac a chance."

* * *

Katy had absolutely no intention of keeping up her side of the deal. Something told her that Ronnie wasn't planning on ending things with Jack either, which meant she didn't feel remotely guilty about her decision. She had, however, already agreed to a drink with Isaac that evening, so she guessed that Ronnie would assume she was taking their deal seriously.

"K? You ain't see Whit, have ya?" Tiffany demanded, barging into her office and staring at her wildly.

"Uhh… no? Should I have?" Her mind whirred. "Have I missed something?"

"No… no." The teenager shook her head quickly. "She was supposed to have a meeting about Gray's firm keeping her case on, but she's disappeared. You don't reckon she's done anything stupid, do you?"

"Course not." Katy frowned at her. "If she was gonna do something rash or stupid she'd have come to me, wouldn't she?"

"Yeah, I suppose…"

"Look… if you want me to ask around and–"

"No…" Tiffany shook her head and smiled weakly. "No, you're alright. We've got everyone out looking and you're busy. Just… if you hear from her…"

"I'll phone you straight away." Katy promised.

She watched as the younger woman rushed out again, already dialling a number on her mobile. Katy chewed her lip, wondering whether Whitney really would have run away to avoid whatever was coming with her trial.

Realising that she couldn't just sit and do nothing to help, Katy made a few calls, asking several of her contacts to look out for any sign of her friend. Hesitating for a moment, she briefly considered cancelling with Isaac, but then realised that there was no point. She didn't even know that there was any need to go looking for Whitney at all. They might just have been panicking over nothing, for all she knew.

Instead, she tried calling Whitney a few times, leaving a couple of messages, before forcing herself to focus on other things. If she wanted to take a bit of time away from the bar, she needed to make sure things were in place before hand.

As the time she'd agreed to meet Isaac approached, Katy checked her hair and touched up her make up in the mirror on the office wall. She huffed irritably at herself, scowling at her reflection, before heading down to the bottom bar. It was packed, much to her delight. Katy was still filled with relief every time she saw the R&R full of punters. The money issues they'd been having not so long ago were – touch wood – a thing of the past.

"What time's your date?"

"Tina… it's _not_ a date." Katy muttered, frowning at her.

"Yeah, alright." The brunette laughed, nudging her. "Besides, with Sheree and Patrick heading off on holiday, he'll have the house to himself."

"Don't be a dick, Tina. It's just…" She pulled out her mobile as it vibrated in her back pocket. Reading the message quickly, she sighed. "It's off. Isaac's got family stuff to deal with, apparently."


	83. Chapter 83

On Wednesday morning, Katy called a family meeting. She had refused to tell anyone what it was about and so the children had been dropped off at Jack's and the four Mitchell women had gathered around the kitchen table.

"So… I've been thinking about the situation here." Katy started slowly, looking between the three older blondes.

"What situation?" Glenda asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"The fact that there are eight of us living in this four bedroom house… ten when Amy and Ricky stay here." Her granddaughter clarified. "I mean; do you and Rox _really_ enjoy sharing a room?"

"No." Roxy replied immediately. Catching sight of the expression on Glenda's face she shrugged. "What?"

"So, with that in mind," Katy continued, pulling some papers out of her bag, "I went to the estate agents. I'm thinking about buying number 28."

"Next door to Jack's?"

Katy rolled her eyes at her mother. "I'm not suggesting we install a connecting door, Mum. 28's on the market and it would be perfect. You and Rox can stay here with Matthew, Gran can keep the flat downstairs and me and the girls will move across to 28."

"How are you going to afford it?" Glenda asked seriously. "You've got this place and R&R to pay out for already."

"I used Archie's money for this place, so the mortgage is pretty low. You, Mum and Rox would be able to cover it easily." Katy told them with a shrug. "R&R is covering itself and I'm sure I can get a mortgage for number 28."

"Or… me and Rox could buy you out of this place?" Ronnie suggested.

"Yeah?"

"I'd feel better about that than living here and just paying off your mortgage, sweetie." She continued, smiling at her daughter. "You get Ritchie to draw everything up and we'll find the money, right, Rox?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Roxy nodded distractedly. "What's brought this on? We've been living like this for ages… have you got a bloke?"

"Oi, don't judge me by your standards, Aunty Rox."

"Nah, but seriously, are you and Isaac a thing?"

"No."

"So you wouldn't mind if I–"

Ronnie snorted. "You would really chase after your niece's ex?"

"She had a kid with yours." Glenda chipped in, helpfully.

"He's not my ex!"

"Well that was uncalled for."

"You started it."

"This is what I mean!" Katy pointed out, shaking her head. "I think we all need a bit of space… away from each other. I love you all to bits, but you're all just here… all the time."

"But that suits you when you need a babysitter."

"Gran."

"Not helpful, Mum." Ronnie sighed, shaking her head. "I think Katy's right. We all need our own space."

"I'm glad we're all in agreement." Katy told them with a shrug. "I'm gonna get onto Ritchie and the estate agent today. I'll see if they'll rush the sale through as fast as possible."

"You think that's likely?"

"Yeah, maybe… I dunno. We'll have to see what Ritchie says, I guess. I'll get on to it straight away." She glanced at the time. "I might pop over to my office and make a few calls while the kids are at Dad's."

"So are you hoping muggins here will offer to pick them up later?" Glenda groused.

Katy rolled her eyes. "Course not, I shouldn't be that long and, besides, Kush and I are taking the kids to the cinema later." Seeing the other three exchanging looks, she huffed. "Get your minds out of the gutter, the lot of ya. With Kat away, I think he could do with a hand occupying the boys for a bit."

"Since when have you been about helping other people?" Roxy asked, furrowing her eyebrows for a moment before a broad grin split her face.

"Shut up, Rox."

"Well I think it's very sweet." Ronnie teased, standing up and moving to put the kettle on, pressing a kiss to the top of her daughter's head as she went. "Besides, if you keep taking the piss she might not take _our_ kids with her."

"What? And not hear the end of it?" Katy pointed out, rolling her eyes. "Nope… we're taking our lives in our hands and taking all nine kids."

"Bloody hell, you sure you don't want some moral support."

"We'll be fine." She assured them, before standing up. "I'd better get going if I'm gonna speak to Ritchie and the estate agents before I get the kids."

Leaving the flat, knowing that the three women would probably continue to speculate on her motives while she wasn't there, Katy hurried towards the R&R. She tried to avoid getting caught in conversation with anyone, knowing that she didn't really have the time to spare.

Waving at the bar staff, not pausing to speak to anyone, she immediately found her lawyer's number in her contacts and jammed the phone between her ear and shoulder as she scrabbled around for the estate agents' details in her desk drawer. Before she could even explain what she wanted, the older woman was speaking.

"Ah, Katherine… I was going to phone you later on this afternoon." The words, even in Ritchie's reassuring tone, set Katy on edge. "I've had an email from Tyler's solicitor. He's sent through some dates for mediation."

"He's done what?"

"Don't fly off the handle." Ritchie cautioned. "You need to stay calm and convince the mediator that Tyler hasn't got a leg to stand on. If that's really what you want, that is?"

"Of course it is, Ritchie. I just want this over and done with so we can continue with our lives exactly as they are now."

"Right. So the first date he's suggested is Monday 20th–"

"Good, fine, book it in. Whatever."

"Katherine–"

"Ritchie. The sooner I go, the sooner it's over." She reasoned. "Besides, I've got something else I need you to do for me."

As she explained her plans to sell 43 to Ronnie and Roxy and buy 28, Katy scribbled down the mediation meeting on her calendar. She was only half concentrating on what the older woman was saying as she thought about what the meeting could possibly entail. Although she was determined to get the upper hand, not having any idea what was heading her way made it incredibly difficult for her to formulate any sort of plan.

"So you think you can sort it?" She asked.

"Shouldn't be a problem. There won't be much of a delay; number 28 is vacant and you're not waiting on anything your end. I'll rush through your mortgage. I imagine, as long as your offer is accepted, it'll all go through in a couple of months."

"Excellent." Katy nodded, leaning back in her desk chair. "Surely that'll go in my favour too? Own our own house, got the bar… what's Tyler got?" Then she straightened. "Ritchie, what exactly will this mediation involve?"

"They'll ask you some questions and try to come to a compromise about what happens with the children." Ritchie explained. "The aim is to keep you _out_ of court, Katherine. I would advise you to make that your main aim, too."

"I'm not letting him have my kids, Ritchie."

"I'm not suggesting that you do that for a second. All I'm saying is approach this with the aim of resolving it as quickly and easily as possible."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The older woman sighed deeply. "You're a Mitchell. Everything has to be hard work and a drama."

"Point taken." Katy acknowledged. "Fine. I'll be nice."

"Good. I'll confirm the 20th with Tyler's lawyer and get the details to you. I'll also sort the property sales."

"Thanks, Ritchie."

"I'll sent my bill straight to your accountant."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do." She replied bluntly. "I also know there's more chance of me being paid quickly if I go straight to Jeff."

The Mitchell nodded. "Fair point. Just… send me those details and try and rush the sales through as quickly as possible. Thanks, Ritchie."

With a date that she could actually focus on, Katy made up her mind to do everything she could to influence the mediation, starting with making sure the children had a brilliant time at the cinema and were thoroughly spoilt.


	84. Chapter 84

Katy was almost looking forward to Monday morning and the children going back to school. She had kept her promise and spent the holidays keeping them occupied; quickly deciding that childcare was not for her. Some time spent together outside of school seemed to have settled things between Tommy, Ricky and Ruby, as well.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come to the mediation with you?" Ronnie asked on Monday morning once Glenda had left to take the children to school.

"I don't think you're allowed." Her daughter pointed out with a snort. "Besides, what's that going to look like? They ain't gonna take me seriously if I take my Mum with me."

"It'll show you've got a strong family support system."

"It'll show that I need you holding my hand."

"We both know that ain't true."

'Yeah and they need to know that, too." Katy reminded her. "Nah, I've got this." She finished her coffee and placed the mug in the sink. "You can do me a favour, though. I was supposed to be phoning Ritchie about the contracts for this place. D'you reckon you could give her a ring?"

"Fine…" Ronnie wafted a hand dismissively. "I just don't like knowing that you're off being grilled about the kids and there's nothing I can do to help."

"Mum, it'll be fine. Tyler ain't got a leg to stand on, does he?"

"Mmmm…"

"What's 'mmmm' supposed to mean?"

"Well… Tyler knows you pretty damn well and I'm sure there are things that you wouldn't want getting out."

"Like what?" Katy asked in a challenging tone.

Ronnie rolled her eyes. "Don't be an idiot, Katy. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You probably know better than I do what you don't want Tyler telling no one."

"Right… but if Tyler did decide to tell anyone anything he knows… or thinks he knows… he's gonna be in just as much trouble as I am because he kept it to himself until it was useful to him." She shook her head. "He ain't gonna say nothing more than making out I'm selfish and unfit." She huffed again. "Look, I ain't being funny, Mum, but I don't need you stressing me out right now."

"D'you at least want a lift to this mediation?"

"Nah, I'll be OK, Mum. Like I said, it would be a massive help if you could talk to Ritchie. She thought it would be about two months before it all went through, but that was a week ago so hopefully we're a couple of steps closer now."

With a deep sigh, Ronnie watched as the younger blonde gathered up her things and blew her a kiss as she left the kitchen. Katy knew that her mother thought she was being too blasé about the mediation, but she also knew that Ronnie's approach would probably cause more aggravation than was strictly necessary.

The building where the mediation was taking place was a stark, clinical office; not unlike the one Katy had been to meetings with Ritchie in. She wrinkled her nose as the receptionist asked her to wait for a moment, dropping into one of the chairs on the opposite wall to his desk and immediately regretting it. She huffed, repositioning herself and rubbing her back a little as it ached after hitting the hard frame of the chair.

"Katy."

She forced a smile onto her face. "Tyler. You look well."

"You too."

He awkwardly settled himself in the chair beside hers and Katy rolled her eyes. She leant back, folding her arms and pointedly looking away so that he couldn't make eye contact or think that she was remotely interested in holding a conversation with him. Needing something to do with her hands, she pulled out her mobile and started flicking absentmindedly through her messages.

Isaac had been incredibly apologetic for blowing her off the evening that they had agreed to meet for a drink but, as yet, hadn't given her an explanation. Katy had been cold with him for a while, feeling more embarrassed and annoyed than anything, before deciding that it wasn't getting her anywhere. Instead, she'd suggested that he sort out whatever was going on and let her know when he was ready to rearrange. Even Ronnie hadn't been able to argue with that way of handling things.

"Ms Mitchell? Mr Moon?"

They both looked up at their names being called. As the mediator ushered them into her office, Katy brushed invisible dust off her trousers and stalked into the room first. She didn't look back to see whether Tyler was following her.

Settling herself in one of the chairs the woman was indicating, Katy crossed her legs and looked around carefully. The office was no less stark than the reception area. The only thing that caught her attention was a bookshelf on the opposite side of the room, holding copies of books like 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' and 'The Power of Positive Thinking'. Katy rolled her eyes again and settled herself comfortably in her seat, waiting for the mediator to start.

"My name is Melissa Ferris and the aim of these sessions is to come to some sort of custody arrangement that you both agree with." She started. "I've been given a good level of detail about your history from Mr Moon's solicitor. Would you like to tell me about your past relationship from your view, Ms Mitchell."

Katy briefly considered questioning the request, or downright refusing, before remembering what was at stake. "How about you tell me what you know and I'll agree or disagree?"

The woman looked a little taken aback, but nodded. "Right… well, your relationship started in while you were pregnant with your eldest daughter. You split up the following January before reconciling in 2016. During that time, Tyler assumed parental responsibility for all three of your daughters and his name was placed on their birth certificates. You split up in July 2018 due to irreconcilable differences."

Katy snorted at that. "We split up because he got us into debt while I was receiving treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and then ran off to Spain and shacked up with someone else rather than dealing with the mess he'd made."

"You know I was dealing with it!" Tyler shot back angrily. "You just never gave me the chance–"

"Whatever, Tyler." She exhaled deeply. "It's the same excuses every time we try and have a sensible conversation."

"So, do you agree with the history I was given by Mr Moon's solicitor?"

"Yeah, it sounds right." Katy agreed with a shrug. "But I know all that. Surely we're here to work out what happens next."

"Exactly." Melissa nodded. "I'm sure we can work together to find something that works for everyone."

Smiling tightly, Katy kept her thoughts on that matter to herself. "Right… so how does this work?"

"We need to set out some ground rules before we continue." The mediator told them. "You will both be given an opportunity to speak, so no interruptions, please. Likewise, this is a safe space, so arguing and shouting will not be tolerated. We will work together, respecting the other's viewpoint, to come up with a solution that has the best interests of yourselves and your children at heart."

"I'm willing to approach this with an open-mind." Katy agreed with a shrug.

"Me too." Tyler added quickly, clearly not wanting to be outdone.

Melissa talked for a long time about the process and what it would mean legally. Katy listened intently, determined to understand exactly what was happening so that there were no surprises later on. She kept one eye on Tyler, who seemed to have glazed over while the mediator was talking. A smirk found its way onto her face and she carefully rearranged it, before either of them noticed.

"So, that's us done for today." Melissa announced.

Tyler jumped. "We're done?"

"For your introductory session, yes. We'll meet again for an hour-long session where we'll start to make arrangements for the children that suit you both."

"When will that be?"

"Got a busy schedule, have you?" Katy muttered under her breath.

"How are you both fixed for next Monday? I've got an opening at five?" Melissa asked, glossing over the comment.

Pulling out her phone and opening the calendar app, Katy nodded. "I'll move some things around, but I'll be here."

"Yeah, me too." Tyler agreed quickly.

"Wonderful." Melissa smiled between them. "Right, in the meantime, have a think about some options that might work for you and the children. We can discuss them next week. I'll also need some financial details and information on your living arrangements."

When the session ended, Katy had said goodbye to the mediator and was out of the office before Tyler could even stand up. She strode straight through the reception area and out of the building without giving him the chance to catch up with her, pulling out her mobile and calling her mother straight away.

Ronnie answered on the first ring. "Sweetie? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's done. I'm on my way home now."

"That was quick?"

"Mmm… just an introductory meeting, apparently. She set out the ground rules and explained how it would work and what it all means. We've got to go back next week with some ideas for how we want it to proceed."

"I've got a few ideas…"

Katy laughed, glancing both ways before crossing the road and heading towards the nearest tube station. "Yeah, me too, but I don't think she'd go for them."

"How was Tyler?"

"Same old, same old." She replied with a shrug, fumbling for her purse. "I'll tell you about it when I get back. Lunch at the Vic?"

"Eurgh… can we make it Walford East? I've just seen your Dad and Denise going into the Vic."

"Yeah, course. I'll meet you there in about half an hour, OK?"

The tube ride back to the Square seemed to take forever, but finally Katy was stepping out of the station and into the street. She made her way straight to the restaurant, smiling as she realised that Ronnie was already seated and waiting for her with a couple of glasses of wine.

Knowing that if she didn't immediately offer up the information her mother would just badger her until she heard it, Katy started telling her everything that had happened at the mediation. Ronnie, for her part, listened without interrupting until she was sure her daughter had finished.

"So how do you think it went?"

Katy shrugged, taking a small sip of her wine as she considered the question. "Relatively well, I think? It wasn't too antagonistic, although it was the first session, so we'll see."

"Well I'm proud of you for keeping your temper in check." Ronnie told her, raising her glass in a toast.

Chuckling, Katy clinked hers against it before dropping her gaze to her lunch. "So, how did the call to Ritchie go?"

"Everything's going through fine. She reckons we're looking at about six weeks."

"Not bad. I have to go back with financial details and residential information next week, so being able to say we're moving into our own house will surely go in my favour."

"Of course it will; especially seeing as you'll be next door to your dad and uncle and across the Square from your mum, aunt and gran. Tyler hasn't got that family support network here."

"Mmm…"

Ronnie peered at her for a moment. "You're not having second thoughts?"

"No." Katy shook her head firmly. "Of course not. I just… it was really odd, you know? We barely said a dozen words to each other and most of those were disagreeing with the facts. How can you go from thinking that you're going to spend your life with someone to practically being strangers?"

"That's life." Her mother replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, but I had him put on the kids' birth certificates, Mum. If I hadn't done that–"

"You loved him, Sweetie. None of us thought it would end like this." Ronnie sent Katy a sad smile and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're far too much like me for your own good."


	85. Chapter 85

"Finally showing your face around here, are you?" Katy teased, straightening up and walking away from the opposite end of the bar where she'd been lounging.

Isaac shot her a weak smile. "Yeah… had some pretty odd stuff to get my head round and then back to work, you know."

"Yeah, I know." Not bothering to ask what he wanted, she grabbed a bottle of lager and placed it in front of him. "Wanna talk about it?"

"You had a personality transplant or what?"

"Yeah, alright, I was a cow." She acknowledged with a shrug. "I'm sorry, yeah. I've also got my head around a few things and… I really am sorry for being so difficult."

"I guess I can accept your apology." Isaac conceded with a small smirk.

"Oh, well, I'm incredibly grateful for that." Katy replied, rolling her eyes and grinning. "So, you gonna tell me what made you freak out so much?"

"Yeah… I just… I found something out that really messed with my head." He told her quietly, his eyes fixed on his drink. "Something about–"

"Oh, hang on… give me a minute, Isaac…" Katy cut him off, smiling weakly at him, before moving along the bar. She laid a hand on Leon's arm as he made to serve Graham, shaking her head and indicating that she would deal with him. "Hi… long time no… well, no see or speak."

"Sorry, work's been crazy over the last few weeks and I guessed you'd be busy with the kids over the holidays."

"Yeah, I was. It's a good job I weren't hanging around waiting for you to call, init?"

"I never took you for one of those girls."

Katy snorted, turning away to get him a drink. "Lucky for you I ain't."

Graham glanced along the bar, spotting Isaac watching him with a frown. "Boyfriend?"

"Not exactly." She acknowledged.

"But he could be?"

"Maybe."

"So I'm guessing he wouldn't be best pleased about you coming to another dinner with me?" Graham asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning at her.

Katy chewed her lip. "Maybe he don't get a say in how I spend my time."

"So are you saying you'll come with me?"

"Depends when it is."

"Monday." Graham informed her, taking a sip of his drink. "It's at the house of a colleague of mine."

"Monday night?" Katy furrowed her eyebrows, thinking about what else she had to do that day. "What time… I've got a meeting in the afternoon."

"I'll pick you up about six to get there in time."

"I've got an… a meeting that won't end 'til about then." Katy replied, shaking her head. "I won't get back here until about half six and then I'll have to get ready."

"Then I'll pick you up from your meeting and we'll stop off on the way so you can get ready." Graham suggested with a bright smile.

"And will you be providing the outfit again?"

He smiled. "Well, seeing as the last one went down so well."

There was a pause as they considered each other. Katy thought about turning him down, telling him she couldn't go and ending it there. But she couldn't quite bring herself to. Graham watched her, as though he knew where her mind was.

"So? Monday?" Graham grinned. "Where am I picking you up from?"

Katy told him the address of the office and he nodded. Then she asked where the dinner was. When Graham chuckled and asked whether she needed to inform her bodyguards where she'd be if something went wrong, she nodded seriously. Laughing, he gave her the address. Katy's face twitched a little at the fact that it was in Mayfair.

"I'm definitely going to need that outfit, then."

Standing up, he straightened his jacket and smiled at her. "I'll see you on Monday, then."

Katy nodded and leant against the bar as he left. Scrunching up her nose thoughtfully for a moment, she made her way back over to Isaac, placing a fresh bottle of lager in front of him as she did so.

"Who was that?" He demanded immediately. He didn't need to add anything else for Katy to know exactly who he was talking about.

"A business associate." She replied casually. "So, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

"Not sure I want to now." Isaac muttered petulantly. "You might just wander off again."

"I won't. I promise." Katy assured him, laying her hand over his and squeezing gently. "Tell me."

"Patrick is my father."

She blinked a couple of times; unsure whether he meant his words literally or not. "Your… as in…"

"As in my mother had an affair with him nine months before I was born."

"Ahh…"

"Yeah."

"And I'm guessing you weren't exactly OK with that."

He shook his head, looking down at his lager again. "Not exactly. My whole life I thought my dad…"

"I know how you feel." Katy told him softly. She squeezed his hand again. "I know how it feels to think you're someone and then all of a sudden find out you're not that person at all. Before I came here, I thought I knew who my parents were… turns out I was completely wrong."

"Yeah?" He met her eyes at last, a question hanging in the air between them.

"I'd been told my whole life that my parents were Archie and Karen… that Ronnie and Roxy were my sisters." She informed him, her own gaze dropping. For a moment she paused, turning away to pour herself a generous glass of vodka. "I was made to feel like no one really wanted me. Archie couldn't have been less interested, I'd never met Ron and Rox, Karen wasn't well… But that was my life regardless. I _thought_ they were my parents. When I found out they weren't, despite how they'd treated me, it still felt as though my entire world had collapsed."

"But… your parents? I never would have known…"

Katy chuckled. "We don't always get on. There have been many, many times where war has broken out. Mum's too protective; Archie took me away from her… it wasn't her choice. Dad never knew. How could I blame them for that? It doesn't mean it's always easy, though."

"So you don't think I should blame Patrick? I should give him a chance."

With a shrug, she took another long drink from her glass. "I can't make that call. But… did he know? I can't imagine Patrick would have been able to just ignore that he had another son."

"But my Mum knew."

"You've had a good life, yeah?" When he nodded, she smiled. "She did what she thought was best." Katy chewed her lip, thinking about her own kids. "Sometimes telling the truth would just make things worse. I know that better than a lot of people."

"Your parents?"

"My girls."

"Oh…"

"I can't tell you what you should do, Isaac." Katy told him softly. "But I think you need to seriously consider whatever you decide before you do it. There's no point throwing a tantrum and spoiling everything if you're just going to end up regretting it."

He seemed to be considering her words for a long moment. Katy said nothing, not wanting to push him into making a snap decision that he might regret. Just as she was about to move away to help serve the punters, she caught sight of Phil approaching and frowned in bemusement.

"Got a minute?"

Katy nodded curiously, sending Isaac a quick smile before leading the way up to her office. She motioned for Phil to take a seat on the sofa, before leaning back against her desk and watching him carefully.

"What's wrong?"

"Ben and I have got a little job and I was wondering if you wanted in?"

"What kind of job?" She asked, narrowing her eyes and watching him closely.

Phil outlined his plan quickly, in as little detail as possible. Katy listened, her mind working overtime as she tried to answer her own questions before having to ask them out loud. When he finished talking, he leant back against the cushions and waited to hear the verdict.

"Decidedly dodgy, then?" She pointed out at last. "Why d'you want me involved? Want a fall-guy?"

"Course not." Phil shook his head vehemently. "Your family, I wouldn't do that. I… Ben told me how you helped him out with Danny Hardcastle. I might need your help again."

"You want me to babysit Ben?"

"No! Of course I don't." Phil snapped immediately. "He's going in for his op tomorrow; he'll be fine."

"Phil… you do realise that it might not work, right?" Katy asked softly. "And even if it does, he's going to need time to adjust. He ain't gonna be back on his feet straight away."

"I know that. But I ain't sure he does."


	86. Chapter 86

"There's been a change of plan."

Katy exhaled and ran a hand through her hair before turning to look at Phil expectantly. "What?"

Motioning his head towards the table in the back corner of the café, Phil led the way over. He waited until Kathy placed Katy's coffee in front of her, looking curiously between the two, before he spoke. Katy wrapped her hands around her mug, waiting to hear what he was about to tell her.

"The warehouse job." He said in a low voice. "I'm going in on it with Hardcastle."

"So… you don't need me anymore? What about Ben… he ain't gonna take being cut out well."

"I still want you involved."

"Why?"

"Because I trust ya and I know you can handle it." He replied seriously.

"You still ain't told me exactly what you want me to do." Katy pointed out. "How can I agree to something when I dunno what it is."

Phil chuckled. "Never stopped you before, has it?"

"Shut up, Phil."

"So, you in or out?"

"When you tell me what it is–"

"We're doing over a warehouse. I'll let you know more when you need to know, alright?" He told her firmly. Seeing that she was about to argue again, he held up a hand. "Look, the less you know about it before hand, the better. I ain't gonna get you into anything you can't handle."

Katy huffed. "Famous last words."

"So?"

"Fine. I'm in."

"Good." He nodded stiffly. "I'll call you when you need to know more."

"I'll be on tenterhooks." Katy replied sarcastically, earning herself a chuckle. Glancing at the time, she swore and downed her coffee in two gulps. "I've gotta go. I'll speak to you soon."

Grabbing her things, she left the café and hurried towards the tube station. She was prepared to tackle whatever Tyler threw at her at their mediation meeting and was equipped with everything Melissa had asked for. Katy was determined to prove that she was the best person to have the girls.

The meeting was frustrating. Melissa spoke to them separately; Katy spending the time while the mediator was speaking to Tyler alternating between pacing around the waiting room and sitting in one of the uncomfortable chairs tapping her foot irritably. Every time the receptionist glanced her way, clearly wanting to say something about the monotonous tapping sound, Katy fixed her with a scowl that was evidently enough to make the young woman change her mind.

Her own talk with Melissa went as well as she had hoped. The mediator was clearly impressed with her financial situation and the fact that she was in the process of buying a house. Her near-by familial support also went a long way to supporting her case. Melissa was quick to explain that it didn't mean she would gain custody, though. It simply supported Katy's claim that she was in a position to support her daughters on her own.

"As well as the financial and residential information, I asked you both to think about some viable options that would work for you and the children." Melissa reminded them once Tyler had been called back into the room. "Have you had the chance to do that?"

Katy prevented herself revealing her true thoughts on the matter, nodding slowly instead. Tyler glanced sideways, before fixing his eyes on the woman sitting opposite them again. He nodded, shifting slightly in his seat.

"I think the girls would benefit from spending a lot more time with me. They need some stability to–"

"What the hell are you implying?" Katy snapped, turning to scowl at him.

"Ms Mitchell…"

"Fine. Sorry." She ground her teeth. "But he's obviously trying to say that I'm not providing a stable environment for the girls, which is totally ridiculous and, I thought, against _your_ rules."

"I think what Mr Moon is trying to say is that having more contact with both parents in an ordered way would provide more stability and therefore be beneficial to your children."

Katy snorted. "Uhh… I don't think he was. I think he was attempting to take cheap shots."

"You need to stop being so sensitive." Tyler muttered.

"I thought I was _in_sensitive?"

"You can be both."

Melissa cleared her throat. "If we could get back on track? Are you suggesting shared custody with both of you playing an equal role in raising your children, Mr Moon?"

"Well… I do think we both need to be involved." He agreed. "But I don't think spending so much time near Katy's family is entirely healthy for the girls. They have far too much influence over everything and I just think they need to have some distance put between them. They're not a particularly good influence on Katy or the girls and I don't think they should be–"

Katy's eyebrows shot up and she rounded on him angrily. "_Excuse_ me?"

"You can't deny it!" Tyler told her hotly. "Whenever your family are around everything goes wrong."

"That's a fucking lie and you know it." She shot back, equally furiously. "My family have done so much for us… for _you_. Gran raised the girls while I was in hospital and you were AWOL. My parents and Rox have been looking after them while I was trying to set up the business that puts a roof over their heads and pays for everything they need. Where the hell were you during all that, eh?" She leant back in her seat, folding her arms. "My family adore those girls and they'd do anything for them."

"Yeah and we both know what that means from your family."

"What?"

"OK." Melissa held up her hands. "This isn't helping anything."

"No shit." Katy muttered.

Choosing to ignore her, the mediator attempted to steer the discussion back to a more constructive path, but neither of them were in any mood to communicate with the other. Finally, glancing at the time, Melissa let out a sharp sigh and told them that their time was up.

"Can we try and approach the meeting next week with a more positive outlook?" She suggested as Katy was gathering her things.

"As long as he doesn't start insulting my family again, yeah." She agreed frostily.

"Yeah." Tyler nodded.

Stalking away quickly, Katy was relieved to see Graham's car parked up outside the second she pushed through the door onto the street. He grinned from his position leaning against the side of it, before moving to open the door for her.

"Is that him?" Graham asked as Katy slid into the back of the car. "Your ex?"

Katy followed his gaze to where Tyler was standing, talking into his mobile. "Yeah, that's him."

"He seems familiar."

Frowning at the expression of concentration on his face, Katy considered how he could possibly have come into contact with Tyler. "I doubt it."

"Doesn't work in finance, then?"

She snorted. "Not remotely."

"I'm sure I'll work it out."

Katy shrugged as he rounded the back of the car and got in beside her. "So, do I get to see my outfit yet?"

"It's at the hotel, ready for you to change." Seeing the expression on the young woman's face, he chucked. "I'll be waiting in the bar. I won't even walk you to the lifts."

"I should think not. What colour is it?"

"Blue."

"What kind of blue?"

Graham shrugged. "Blue. I thought it would bring out your eyes."

Katy snorted. "That's the oldest line in the book."

"It's true, though."

"Whatever."

Chuckling again, Graham started filling her in on the people that she'd be spending the evening with. Katy listened with amusement as he described them, imagining the types of people she would be forced to make polite small talk with.

Before long, they drew up outside a relatively expensive looking hotel. Handing her a key card and telling her which room she was looking for, Graham watched Katy walking towards the lifts before keeping his promise and heading for the bar. She shouldered her bag and took a deep breath before stepping inside the lift and punching the button to take her to the fourth floor.

When Katy let herself into the room, she was surprised to see that it was obviously in use. She frowned, checking the number on the door, before moving to put her things on the bed. Curiously, she poked around for a clue as to whose room it actually was. Finding an empty envelope discarded on the side, she read the name and realised that Graham must be living there. Filing the information away to ask him about later, the young woman unzipped the garment bag to get her first look at her dress.

It was, as Graham had said, blue. More specifically, it was a dark, midnight blue with long sleeves, a high neck and covered in lace. Arching an eyebrow as she caught sight of the label, Katy turned her attention to the shoebox. Yet another pair of patent designer heels greeted her and she smiled appreciatively.

Dressing quickly, she retouched her make up and attempted to (and gave up on) make her hair look a little better than vaguely presentable before gathering all her things. Hesitating before she left the room she took a couple of photos in the full-length mirror to send to Tina, before heading for the lifts to join Graham at the bar.

"Vodka?"

"Thanks."

"Then we should get going." Graham told her, signalling for the barman's attention. As he placed their orders, he looked closely at her, no doubt wondering whether she was going to ask the question he knew she was thinking about. "Yes, I'm staying here at the moment."

"Oh… I wasn't…"

"Yes, you were."

Katy laughed. "OK, yeah, I was gonna ask. Why?"

"Slight disagreement with my plumber about how long it should take to upgrade a central heating system."

"Sounds boring."

Graham nodded in agreement. "Incredibly. Shall we?"


	87. Chapter 87

Tina had demanded a thorough de-brief on the evening before as soon as she'd joined Katy in R&R the next morning. The blonde had sighed and filled her in, assuring her that it had been twice as boring as she'd expected. They'd talked about things she had no knowledge and no interest in and Katy had the distinct impression that they'd only engaged her in conversation to amuse themselves. Not that she cared at all.

"Hey, T… I was thinking…" She started, watching as her friend leant against the opposite side of the bar flicking through a magazine. "When your lot move out of the Vic, you got anywhere sorted yet?"

The brunette's face twitched involuntarily, giving her answer away before she spoke. "Not yet."

"I've got a proposition for you, then." Katy told her, motioning towards the optics. When Tina nodded, looking incredibly curious at what was heading her way, she turned to pour them both a generous measure of vodka. "How would you feel about moving in with me and the girls when we move?"

"What?"

"Don't worry, I ain't had a personality transplant. I ain't being selfless and entirely generous." The blonde laughed softly, leaning her elbows on the bar. "There is no way I'm gonna be able to live on my own with them kids and do my job. They love you, you're amazing with them… what d'you say?"

"You want me to be your nanny?"

Katy laughed. "No, T… I want you to just be there in case I can't be."

"But your dad will be next door and your mum and gran over the Square…"

"If you don't want to move in you can just say no." Her friend told her with a shrug. "I won't be offended."

Tina furrowed her eyebrows. "I didn't say that."

"Look, you don't have to decide immediately… Ritchie reckons it'll be a couple of weeks before we get the keys to number 28. Even then you don't have to move in straight away." Katy told her. "It's completely up to you, babe. I just thought it might work out for both of us, that's all."

"Yeah, no… I appreciate the offer, K. Honestly. It's just… we're not gonna all be together, you know?"

"I know. It's gonna be the same for me. Just… the offer's there, OK? For as long – or short – as you want."

"Can I let you–?"

"Sorry, T… I've gotta get this." Katy apologised, seeing Phil's name flashing on the display of her phone.

"I need you to come to the house in ten minutes."

"Phil, I can't just drop everything and–"

"I knew you'd have excuses, that's why I phoned rather than texting." He told her bluntly. "I need to go over that plan with you and Ben and I need to do it now."

"Fine… but you've only got ten minutes." She replied, equally bluntly. "I've got shit to do."

Huffing, Phil agreed and ended the call. Katy told Tina that she was popping out for a few minutes, grinning as the brunette pulled a face, before making her way hastily out of the bar. Letting herself in through the back door, Katy followed the voices and found Phil and Ben pouring over a building plan laid out on the dining room table.

"What's she doing here?" Ben demanded, glancing up and glaring at his cousin.

"Katy's in on the job."

"What? Why?"

"Because Hardcastle likes her and she was a deal sweetener."

"Excuse me?" Katy scowled at Phil, putting her hands on her hips.

"Nothing like that." He dismissed her anger with a wave of his hand. "Now, like I was telling Ben, we're hitting a warehouse over in Stratford. One of Danny's men has got the access codes." He motioned towards the balaclavas beside the plans. "We need these because the geezers we're robbing are serious people and if they find out we're involved, they'll find us and they'll kill us."

"Phil, I don't need this." Katy told him, holding up her hands and shaking her head. "I've got three kids and a business to think about, not to mention a possible custody case."

"They don't come cheap." Phil pointed out. "You're also planning on buying Number 28… you need the money."

"What I _don't_ need are some low life thugs on my case. I don't understand what you're expecting me to do, anyway. Why do you even need me?"

"I don't understand that either." Ben agreed, folding his arms.

"Distraction. You keep Danny's attention away from us."

"You're planning on screwing him over?" Katy furrowed her eyebrows.

"If we do this right, we can come away with a much bigger share and let Danny take the fall – if it comes to that."

The blonde considered him for a moment, before shooting her cousin a quick glance. "What's the plan?"

Phil smirked and bent over the paper on the table once more. "Now… we'll need to get the money from the loading dock here. That's where it's gonna be, according to Danny's man on the inside. We'll have to cut the power to get out, but that will trigger the alarm. We'll have twenty minutes to get in, get the cash and get out. Then the whole place will be swarming with old bill." He glanced at his son meaningfully. "No heroics."

"Just repeat the last bit for me." Ben requested as soon as his father stopped talking. "Just… you're just talking a bit too fast. I've gotta lip read."

"This is… Ben, this is a mistake."

"No. No!"

"How're you gonna cope, eh? You've got no focus. You ain't right up here."

"I am!" Ben argued almost desperately. "I can do this. I'm the muscle here. Now Dad, with all due respect, you're an older man. I'm much younger, I'm much fitter. OK? If there's any trouble, if anything goes wrong, alright, I'll sort it."

To punctuate his words, Ben pulled something out of his jacket pocket and placed it on the table between them. The trio looked down at the object in unison, two sets of eyebrows shooting up in surprise as they realised that he had brought a gun with him.

"What? You're gonna shoot someone?" Phil asked, almost mockingly.

"Whatever it takes." Ben told him. "Dad, I'm still the same man, alright? I just… I just can't hear. That's it. Let's go through the plans again. Dad!"

Phil folded up the paper and walked away from the table. "You ain't coming, not like this. You ain't well."

"I'm OK."

"Really, you're OK?" Phil shook his head. "You've got a daughter. If anything goes wrong you really wanna leave your daughter without a father? Ben, you just ain't up to it!"

"You can't do this on your own."

"I can."

"Just the two of you, yeah?"

"It'll be fine."

"You can't trust him."

"I can handle Danny, alright?"

"I should be there, alright? I should make sure-"

"No! No way! Now go home and rest up." Phil ordered his son irritably. "And get rid of that thing… now. Now!"

As Ben stormed away, Katy hesitated for a moment, before turning to look at the older man warily. "That probably wasn't a good idea. This is Ben… he ain't gonna take that too well."

"You just worry about yourself, alright? I'll worry about Ben. Be outside the Vic at half eight and get a watertight alibi in place. Don't be late."


	88. Chapter 88

"Tina? Can I have a word?"

Clearly confused about the way she'd been summoned to the office, the brunette nodded and headed out from behind the bar. She nudged Amber with her hip as she went, causing the other barmaid to poke her tongue out before turning her attention to the waiting punters. Katy leant in the doorway of her office waiting for her to join her, before shutting the door firmly behind them.

"I need you to cover for me."

"Cover for you? Why?" Seeing the expression on her friend's face, she grinned. "You meeting Graham?"

"Yeah." Katy nodded quickly. "But Mum's getting suspicious again so if anyone asks I need you to tell them that I'm in the office doing paperwork or talking to Ritchie or something and I can't be disturbed."

"I can do that. What if there's an emergency?"

"Like what?"

"Fire alarm or something?"

"Say I've literally just popped out."

"Right, OK." Tina nodded, putting her hand on the handle and grinning. "I want _all_ the details, OK?"

"I promise."

"And, uhh… your offer?" She looked a little embarrassed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Can I say yes?"

"Moving in? Course you can." Katy grinned at her. "That's brilliant."

"Right… see you later, then."

As the office door closed behind the excitable brunette with a click, Katy collapsed into her chair and leant back with a long sigh. Glancing at the time, she realised she didn't have long before she was supposed to meet Phil outside the Vic. Katy grabbed the only pair of gloves she'd been able to find – an old pair of Glenda's that had somehow avoided the cull when they'd moved back to Walford – and left the office quickly. She glanced around, before descending the stairs with her head down and slipping outside.

Thankfully she didn't run into anyone as she made her way to meet Phil. He was already in the alleyway beside the Vic, looking around nervously and nodding sharply as she moved to stand beside him. Rolling her eyes and nodding as he asked whether she had an alibi in place, Katy repeated what she'd told Tina.

"Are you serious? You got Tina Carter involved?" He demanded gruffly.

"No, of course not." Katy huffed. "She don't know anything."

"Well she better not." Phil warned her, before nodding his head in the direction of a car and van that were driving slowly around the Square towards them. "That's them."

"No Ben?"

"No."

Wondering whether that was a good thing or not, Katy followed him towards the car Danny Hardcastle was driving and slid into the backseat. She glanced in Phil's direction for a moment, slightly unsettled by the fact that he was refusing to meet her eyes, before fixing her gaze out of the window once more.

* * *

"Phil!" Katy hissed, her eyes wide as she tried to shuffle closer to her step-uncle. The hulking man behind her grasped her arm tightly, shoving her sideways away from him. "Get off me!" She snapped at the man, before lowering her voice again. "Phil, what the hell are we gonna do?"

The job had not gone anywhere near how Phil or Katy had expected it to. The warehouse office had not been empty as they had expected and now there was a man lying on the concrete floor with several bullet holes in him. Harcastle had taken the whole thing in his stride, as though he had almost expected the building to be occupied when they arrived.

"Keep ya head." Phil hissed back, his eyes on the man pacing around the space in front of them. "Don't do nothing unless–"

"What the…? Ben!" Katy took a step forward, flinching as she felt a hand closing around her arm. "Get your hand off me. Don't you fucking touch me."

Hardcastle's muscle looked at her for a moment, before letting his hand drop to his side and turning his attention to the young man who'd just been ushered into the room.

"Oh… look who it is. My mate, the cripple." Hardcastle grinned, taking the gun from his associate. "Oh look… you brought a peashooter along, too. Nice. Scary…"

"Danny! Leave him out of it." Phil almost pleaded.

"I'd love to." Hardcastle told him, turning back to face them. "But he invited himself and it's too late now, isn't it?"

"He won't say anything."

"D'you really think I'm gonna take that risk? It's not the old bill I'm worried about, it's this lot." He pointed the gun at the man on the ground. "That's why you're here, Phil… to take the fall."

Katy clenched her fists, furious with herself for getting involved. She should have known that something like this would happen. Phil had been planning on screwing Hardcastle over, but of course he'd got there first.

"He can't hear a word I'm saying." Hardcastle turned back to Ben, angrily. "Can you? Freak!" When Ben said nothing, he grabbed him by the front of his jacket and shoved him down onto the seat. Both Katy and Phil took a step forward, but the men on either side of them stopped them from doing much else. "This your good ear? Is it? Can you hear me?" When Ben shouted at him to stop, he fired the gun. "How about now?"

From the scream that her cousin let out, Katy guessed that the sound must have been far worse where he was sitting. She took another, furious, step forward. This time she was prevented from moving by a hand wrapping tightly around her upper arm and jerking her backwards in line with Phil.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" She snapped, struggling against the man.

"We're gonna leave you now." Hardcastle told the Mitchells, leaning close to Phil who had a horrified expression on his face as Ben continued to cry out. "The bizzies'll be here soon. Say goodbye to your son."

Hardcastle dragged Ben off the seat as the two goons grabbed hold of Phil and Katy. The guns they were holding had made it very clear that they were not about to tolerate any sort of argument as they watched the young man pleading with their boss.

Seeing the look pass between her cousin and his father, Katy glanced at Phil, trying to decipher the expression on his face. He glanced back towards Ben, before meeting the blonde's eyes again. Then he nodded and she understood what he was trying to tell her. She smirked.

Everything happened in a blur. As Hardcastle dragged Ben to his feet, the younger man lashed out, catching his assailant in the face. He went down, flopping onto the sofa with a cry. At the same moment, Phil turned and elbowed the man flanking him in the nose, while Katy stamped on the instep of the man closest to her. As he doubled over, involuntarily, she rammed her fist into his face, kicking him in the stomach for good measure and sending him careening backwards and over the back of the sofa.

Seeing that Phil had waded in to help Ben, Kate bent down and snatched the gun from the man he had incapacitated, shoving it into the waistband of her jeans and heading for the door. Her relatives didn't need telling twice and in seconds the three of them were sprinting along the dimly lit corridors in search of a way out.

Following as Phil darted to the right, Katy was dimly aware that Ben wasn't behind them. Gasping out the older man's name, she motioned behind her. Getting the hint, Phil doubled back and yanked his son sideways to join them. They made it to a more brightly lit, open area without being caught, Katy leaning against the wall and gasping for breath as they took a moment.

"The money…" Phil motioned towards a van parked a little further ahead. "I need that money."

Exhaling sharply, Katy shrugged and followed him as he headed for the van; they'd come this far, they might as well finish the job. Grabbing Ben by the wrist, she pulling him along in her wake, deeply concerned by the way he didn't seem to be fully with them or taking in what was going on.

Standing back as Phil knocked the man loading the money unconscious, Katy nudged her cousin with her shoulder and motioned for him to help them. She reached into the holdall, pulling out a bundle of fifty pound notes, grinning as she realised what they were so close to pulling off.

"There they are!"

Hardcastle's shout pulled them all back to the moment and they leapt into action. Katy rounded the bonnet and climbed into the cab, while Ben slammed the side panel before following. Phil kicked the engine into life and they sped away with a screech of tires before Ben had even managed to close his door. They could hear the men shooting after them, hear the bullets hitting the back of the van, but they were managing to put some space between them.

"Come on, quick, we've gotta move!" Phil ordered them as he screeched to a halt beside the car Ben had directed them towards.

In an instant they were out and swapping vehicles, Katy throwing herself into the back seat as the two men jumped into the front. They could hear the wail of sirens getting closer and, as Ben drive them off the industrial estate, the blue lights were reflected in the high metal fences all around them. Katy craned her neck, ready to announce the exact moment that the police cars came into sight.

"There! Two of them."

"Take a left here." Phil ordered, pointing in the direction he wanted his son to go. "Now, hit the lights."

Doing as he was told, Ben turned off the headlights, taking another left and managing to shake off their pursuers. Katy turned in her seat to watch as the two police cars sped in the opposite direction, leaving them in the clear. She didn't let out the breath she was holding until they were completely out of sight and the blue flashing lights had faded to nothing.

In the front, Phil started laughing, unzipping the bag and taking out several bundles of notes. He tossed one carelessly over his shoulder to Katy, still chuckling. She caught it, flicking through it with a triumphant laugh, still not quite able to believe they'd pulled it back. Katy shuddered at the thought of what could have happened.

"You alright?" Phil asked, glancing sideways at his son. "Ben, you OK?"

"Yeah… yeah." He replied, thoroughly unconvincingly. "No, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"I'm fine."

"Katy?"

"Of course. Dunno how I'm gonna explain my knuckles…" She mused, examining the damage she'd done back in the office.

Phil laughed. "Who cares when we're in the money?"

"Good point." The blonde agreed, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the backs of the front seats. "So what do we do now? D'you reckon they got Hardcastle? He's not gonna keep our names out of this, is he?"

"We keep our mouths shut and deal with anything else as it comes." Phil told her bluntly. "Hardcastle will want to keep his head down for a while… but that don't mean we don't need to be careful."

Nodding slowly, Katy flopped back against the seat, chewing her lip and staring at the money in her hands thoughtfully.


	89. Chapter 89

Although she was in a hurry to get home, everyone seemed to want to speak to Katy as she made her way along Bridge Street and she was in too good a mood to refuse to engage. Laughing, the young woman nudged Kathy with her shoulder and promised she'd be over at R&R by mid-afternoon, before nodding as Kush tried to attract her attention.

"Katy, can I have a word?" Gray called over to Katy as she finished her conversation and turned to continue along Bridge Street.

"Depends what you want?" She replied, looking at him carefully. There was something about him that she didn't quite trust.

"You're Whitney's best mate, right? You'd know all about her past relationships?"

"Uhh..." Katy frowned, folding her arms. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"I need to know in case anything's dragged up in court."

"Right... so why can't you ask Whit?"

"She's told me bits and pieces, but it's clearly tough for her. I thought you might be able to fill in the gaps?"

Katy looked him up and down for a minute. "If it's that important you can speak to Whit about it. Tough or not, she should be the one to tell you. It ain't my place."

"If you're as good a friend as–"

"Don't even go there." She replied, laughing mirthlessly. "You have no idea what Whit and I have been through together." Katy took a step closer to him. "Now stop being creepy and actually do your job. Help Whitney."

Leaving him staring after her, the blonde turned and strode away in the direction of home. She wrapped her hand around the bunch of keys in her coat pocket, smiling to herself as she thought about what they represented. It would be strange, not living with any of her family for the first time, but it was a definite step forward.

"I'm home!" She called out as she let herself into the house.

Almost immediately her grandmother's flat door opened, as did her own. Glenda frowned at her, before glancing up and catching her elder daughter's eyes on the landing above. They clearly didn't understand why she was home in the middle of the morning, which made Katy laugh softly as she pulled the bunch of keys out of her pocket.

"I got the keys to Number 28." She explained, jangling them in the air. "We can move in today."

"You're moving today?"

"No point delaying it, is there?" Katy shrugged, looking between them. "The girls knew we were going to move as soon as it went through. They're excited about it all."

"But it's a bit sudden?"

"We're moving across the Square, not to another country."

"D'you need any help?" Ronnie asked reluctantly.

"Thanks." Her daughter purposely ignored the sadness in her eyes as she asked the question.

Ever since the idea had entered her head, Katy had been forcing herself not to think about the fact that Ronnie might be upset about the move. She understood that it was a massive thing, a sign that Katy really didn't need her mother to help her out anymore. She had her own house, without her family around her constantly. It was almost as though she was cutting them out of her life.

"You do know you'll probably see more of me than you do now." Katy told her offhandedly, sneaking a glance in her mother's direction as she tried to cram all of the twins' soft toys into one bin bag. "I won't know what to do with my own company and I'll be begging you to come over for wine and a gossip."

Ronnie laughed softly. "That's probably true."

"You do know that me moving out with the girls has nothing to do with you, don't you?"

"Hmm?"

"I just… I finally believe that I can bring up the girls on my own." Katy told her quietly. "I've always been afraid before… thought I wasn't able to do it."

"I've never thought that."

"I know." She nodded. "I still want you to be here for us; that's not going to change just because we're not having to share the same bloody bed." They both laughed, Ronnie reaching out her leg and nudging her daughter with her foot. "You're my mum. I love you. But I think we both need some space."

"I'll be here, whenever you need me." Ronnie promised, sliding down off the mattress to sit beside her daughter on the carpet. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss into her hair. "I promise you."

"I know." Katy repeated.

Sometime later, when Glenda appeared in the doorway and complained that they would never get everything done if they were just going to sit around, they resumed the packing. There was a much lighter mood as they finished stuffing toys and clothes into bin liners and boxes. Even Roxy appeared as they were just finishing off and picked up a couple of bags to carry across the Square.

"Ready?" Ronnie asked as they stepped out onto the pavement.

"Yeah… I want to take these over and get changed before Dennis' memorial."

"You're planning on going to that? Sharon won't be–"

"Stuff Sharon." Katy replied bluntly. "She ain't Queen of the Square."

"Katy…"

"What? Don't pretend that you like her any more than I do."

"I probably like her _less_ than you do." Ronnie pointed out. "But still…"

"What?"

"It's her son's memorial. If she doesn't want us there…"

"This ain't about Sharon, Mum." Katy reminded her. "It's about Dennis. We didn't always get on, but he was family."

"I suppose you're right." Her mother sighed. "But don't start any drama with Sharon. You don't need that."

"Of course not."

Ronnie watched as the younger woman climbed the steps and unlocked the front door of her new house for the first time. An immense feeling of pride washed over her as Katy walked inside. Katy had been right in her assumption that Ronnie was worried she wanted to move out to get away from her, but she believed what her daughter had said about finally believing she could survive on her own. She had no doubts that Katy would be even better at it than she thought.


	90. Chapter 90

"What d'you reckon about Phil and Sharon, then?" Tina asked, throwing a dishcloth across the kitchen at her friend. "They're on and off more than a lightbulb, ain't they?"

Katy arched an eyebrow at her, leaning back against the counter and watching her. "She was stupid thinking Phil would take the kid in… why should he? She cheated on him; she was the one who was planning on running off with Keanu, Dennis and the baby… I think Phil's right. Far as I'm concerned, Phil's mistake was taking her back in the first place."

"Yeah, but–?"

"T… you've just moved in; are you really trying to fall out with me already?"

The brunette laughed. "Alright, alright."

"Look… I'm sympathetic and all about Denny – I can't imagine losing one of the girls – but she's made her bed. Phil ain't forgiving, everyone knows that, and she _really_ hurt him." Katy pointed out, folding her arms. She shrugged, accepting the mug of tea that Tina handed her. "It's not exactly a secret that we don't really like each other. I ain't gonna be sorry not to have to spend time with her if I don't have to anymore."

"I bet you're happy that Phil's buying the Vic, though."

"Well yeah… there should be Mitchells in the Vic. No offence." Seeing Tina rolling her eyes, she huffed slightly. "What?"

"You and your Mitchell pride."

"I just… I loved living there with Mum, Rox and Aunty Peg when I was younger. It was the first time I felt like I had a family, you know? It felt like home."

Tina smiled at her, reaching out to squeeze her arm. "Home isn't a place, babe. It's the people."

"I know." Katy sighed, smiling weakly at her. "It just…"

"You wish you could buy it, don't you?"

Shrugging, the blonde sipped at her tea for a moment. "I'm not sure… I don't think it would be the same now. You can't live in the past, can you? Aunty Peg is gone and buying the Vic wouldn't bring her back. We've all moved on with our lives and, honestly, it wasn't all rainbows and roses back then, either."

Tina grinned at her. "It's always been rainbows for me, mate."

Laughing, Katy shook her head and nudged her friend with her shoulder. "Besides, we've got a bar to run, ain't we? I mean, I'm good, but I'm no Ian Beale. I need to concentrate on one business at a time."

"Talking of R&R, have you asked Kathy to work tonight?"

"Why?"

"Aren't you going to some posh dinner party?"

"Oh shit!" Katy almost spilt her tea down herself as she realised Tina was right. "I'd forgotten about that."

"Good job I hadn't and I asked her instead." Tina grinned.

"You're an angel, Tina, honestly." The blonde exhaled, shaking her head and downing the last of her tea. "You sure you're going to be OK watching the girls?"

"Of course I am." Tina rolled her eyes. "We're gonna have pizza and watch movies."

"They do need to be in bed by eight at the latest, T." Katy reminded her, hunting in her bag for her phone. "They have school tomorrow, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah… such a killjoy."

"Mmm… you can do tomorrow's school run in that case."

"Bed by eight, got it."

Shaking her head and laughing, Katy headed out of the house. Seeing as she was going out that evening she wanted to make sure everything was in place for Kathy. As she was heading through the gardens, however, someone fell into step beside her and pushed their arm through hers.

"Hey, sweetheart."

Katy paused, sending her mother a suspicious, narrow-eyed stare. "What d'you want?"

"What makes you think I want something?" Ronnie asked innocently.

"Right, so… you're not about to ask me a favour, then?"

"OK, maybe I am."

"I know you far too well." Katy chuckled. "What is it?"

"It's a big one."

"It usually is." Her daughter replied, rolling her eyes.

Ronnie nudged her with her hip, pouting at her. "Can you look after Matthew for a couple of days? Well, for a week, actually."

Katy was about to agree, when she hesitated. Stopping, she fixed her mother with a curious look, tilting her head and appraising her thoroughly. Ronnie huffed a little, turning her head away and running her free hand through her hair.

"Why?"

"Will you look after your brother, or not?"

"Not if you don't tell me why I need to."

"Fine, I'll ask Mum or Rox."

"Oh, come on." Katy rolled her eyes. "It can't be that bad. Why won't you just tell me?"

"It's not bad at all; it's just nowhere near interesting enough for you to be making such a big deal about it." Ronnie replied with a shrug. "I'm just going to visit an old mate who's opening up her own bar and wanted my opinion on it."

"Which mate?"

"Alison."

"Alison who?"

"Cartwright."

"How d'you know her?"

"We were in the same biology class in school."

"You obviously failed that one." Katy pointed out, a smirk twisting her lips as she indicated towards herself.

Ronnie rolled her eyes at the terrible joke. "So? Satisfied?"

"Yeah, course I'll look after Matthew. We've missed having him around. The girls will be delighted he's coming to stay."

"I'm going on Saturday morning, is that OK?"

"He can stay over on Friday night, if that makes things easier?"

Leaning in, Ronnie pressed a kiss to her cheek, before smiling at her brightly. She thanked Katy quickly, already pulling out her mobile as she turned to walk away. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, the younger Mitchell watched her go, wondering what she'd missed. She didn't buy that Ronnie was going to see a mate for a second, but could only think of one other explanation.

Arching an eyebrow at her mother's retreating figure, Katy changed direction and headed for her father's house. She waited for him to answer the door, smiling innocently as he frowned when he saw her on the doorstep. Muttering something about needing to get to work, he rolled his eyes as she pushed past him and promised she wouldn't be long.

"I need a favour."

"What's new? Is it money?"

Katy grinned. "No, of course not. Is there any chance you can have the kids at the weekend? There's an event I need to go to and Tina's working."

"This weekend?" Jack rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm busy, actually. I've got a training course."

"Really?"

"Yeah… it's a CID thing in Hendon."

"Oh…" Katy feigned surprise. "Well how long will you be gone for? Just the weekend, or…?"

"A week; Saturday to Saturday."

"D'you need me to have the kids while you're gone?"

"Would you?" He asked, looking a little relieved. "I was gonna ask Dee, but if you're offering I'm sure they'd prefer to stay with you? Well, Amy might be at Roxy's, but Ricky…"

"Yeah, course, it's no problem." She replied with a shrug. "I'm already looking after Matthew for the week… apparently Mum's going to visit a friend who's opening a new bar or something."

"Is she?" Jack did his best to look disinterested, not fooling her for a second. "I've got to be there early on Saturday so–"

"They can stay over Friday night, that's no problem."

Thanking her, glancing at his watch and making it obvious that he had somewhere to be, Jack hurried her out of the house. Katy paused on the step for a moment, deep in thought, before descending the steps and making her way slowly towards R&R.

* * *

"You're quiet tonight?"

Katy glanced sideways and smiled. "Sorry… got a few things on my mind… family stuff. I'll be fine when we get there."

"Are you sure? You don't have to come if you've got things you need to–"

"No, no it's fine." She shook her head. "I said I'd come, so I will."

Graham smiled gratefully at her and they lapsed into silence again. He glanced down at the newspaper spread over his lap, his attention caught by one of the stories. He made a snorting sound of derision, before glancing in Katy's direction again.

"Have you heard about this warehouse raid?"

Katy stiffened for a moment, before looking at him with what she hoped was a curious expression. "What warehouse raid?"

As he briefly explained the situation that had been outlined in the paper, Katy pretended to listen carefully. "… but it's a friend of a friend who owned that warehouse. He was supposed to be coming tonight, but he's had to take a rain check."

"I'm not surprised. It must have been a massive blow."

"Mmm…"

"Has he got any idea who it was?"

Graham chuckled. "He's got an idea."

Katy froze, doing her best to keep her expression neutral. "Yeah?"

"A villain called Danny Hardcastle. They've had a couple of run-ins recently and he's the obvious culprit." He glanced at her lazily. "You heard of him?"

"Danny Hardcastle? Nah, I don't think so?"

"He's a nasty piece of work. Maybe you could keep your ear to the ground and let me know if anything's mentioned at your bar?"

Katy laughed softly. "I run a gay bar, remember. It might be stereotypical, but we don't tend to get many east end villains in."

"Let's hope it stays that way."


	91. Chapter 91

"Katy!"

"Oh, hey, Son…" She waited for her cousin to catch her up, pausing beside the fruit and veg stall and eyeing the produce. Now that she was in charge of the shopping, she figured that she should probably try and encourage the girls – and herself – to eat more healthily. "You alright?"

"D'you fancy coming round for dinner tonight?"

"Oh, sorry…" The blonde winced. "Can't tonight; I'm working."

"Oh, right… OK." Sonia smiled weakly. "Have you heard from Bex lately? It sounds like she's having a great time."

Katy nodded. "Yeah, she sent me a couple of photos the other day."

"Photos?" The expression on her face made her younger cousin pause.

Pulling out her mobile, she hunted through her camera roll until she found the photos of Bex on her travels. Handing them over to Sonia, she watched as the brunette looked at each for a while, before swiping onto the next. She recognised the expression on her face and felt sympathy sweeping over her.

"I can't do tonight, but fancy coming round for dinner tomorrow?" Katy offered. "Mum and Dad are both away at the moment, so I'll have all the kids and Tina might be there, but you're more than welcome to join us." She grinned. "It'll be nice to have some adult conversation for once."

"I thought you said Tina might be there?"

"Yeah, exactly."

Sonia laughed, although the expression in her eyes didn't change. She nodded slowly and promised to let Katy know the next day if she could make it. Katy privately thought that there was nothing to stop her cousin accepting the invitation, but let it go.

She shook her head as the young man on the fruit and veg stall asked if he could help her, before quickly heading away. Katy's mind was whirling with the many different situations that she needed to work through and she wasn't quite sure where to start. Making it to the bar and the relative safety of her office would be a bonus, but then again there would no doubt be people wanting to speak to her when she arrived and she really just wanted to concentrate on everything that needed sorting out.

"Not now, Alana!" She held up one hand in the barmaid's direction as the young woman stepped towards her the second she pushed through the door. Seeing her face fall, Katy sighed. "Give me half an hour, OK?"

As the brunette nodded, Katy let her eyes slip closed for a moment as she crossed the floor and began to ascend the staircase. Her mind immediately snapped back to where it had been before the interruption. Settling in her desk chair, she rested her elbows on the surface in front of her and put her head in her hands, thinking over the mediation meeting she'd been at that morning.

Tyler had been deliberately obstructive and she had risen to the bait. Katy winced as she remembered losing her temper, knowing that it would look bad when it was reviewed. She had the distinct impression that they weren't getting very far in their negotiations and wasn't quite sure what that meant for the future. Making up her mind to phone Ritchie and ask her, hoping that the woman would have some idea, she picked up her mobile.

'**Can't get through to Jack. Have you spoken to him recently?'**

Katy winced at the text from her father's girlfriend, wondering why he hadn't spoken to her. Jack had called the night before to speak to Amy and Ricky, although his answers to all of Katy's questions had been incredibly cagey and added to her suspicions that he wasn't where he'd said he was at all. Similarly, Ronnie had been just as vague about what she'd been doing when she'd called the evening before.

There was no doubt in Katy's mind that her parents were together, wherever they were. She had already decided that she was going to confront them when they got home, refusing to let them drag her into their lies. Nothing good could come of it – however much she wanted to believe that it would work out – and there was too much going on at the moment for Katy to be able to deal with the fallout of their affair. Besides, she didn't see why she should keep up her side of the deal she'd made with Ronnie if her mother was making no effort to do the same.

Wondering whether she was being selfish, Katy quickly typed out a message telling Denise the truth – that Jack had briefly called her brother and sister yesterday, letting her know that he'd said he'd been incredibly busy – and promising that she'd ask him to phone whenever he could. She felt bad for the older woman but thought that perhaps Denise knew, deep down, that something was going on.

"Tina!" Glancing and catching sight of the brunette up as she walked across the top bar, Katy beckoned her over. "You in tomorrow night or you got a hot date?"

Tina snorted. "Fat chance."

"Sonia might be coming over for dinner… I think she's missing Bex." Katy explained. "She invited me to hers tonight, but obviously I'm working, so I asked if she wanted to come over tomorrow. That's OK, ain't it?"

"Course… we're still mates."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, you don't have to ask me whether people can come for dinner at your house, especially if it's your cousin."

"You live there too." Katy reminded her. "It might be my house, but it's your home, T."

The brunette grinned at her for a moment, before pulling the younger woman into a tight hug. Katy smiled and returned it, giving her a final squeeze before disentangling herself and moving back behind the bar to finish restocking the fridge. Waving away Tina's thanks, Katy ordered herself to make herself useful, before shaking her head and carrying on with her task.

Straightening up from restocking the fridge in the lower bar a long while later, Katy was just rolling the kinks out of her neck and checking the levels of the bottles in the optics when she heard a low whistle from behind her and turned quickly. Seeing Isaac leaning in the doorway watching her, she rolled her eyes and smirked lightly, rounding the bar and leaning against it. Katy arched an eyebrow as he walked towards her, tilting her head as she appraised him carefully.

"What are you doing here?"

"Thought we could do lunch, if you're not busy?"

"Aren't _you_ busy? Shouldn't you be serving the kids' lunches or something?"

"I'm not a dinner lady." Isaac laughed. "We do get lunch breaks."

"I thought you spent them running clubs or marking or something?" She reminded him, arching her eyebrow again.

"Usually, yeah, but I'm willing to spend my evening working instead if I can spend some time with you now. I know you're working later, anyway."

"You buying?"

"If I must." He teased her, before grinning and leaning in to kiss her. When she kissed him back, looping her arms around his neck, he pulled back to look at her suggestively. "Or we could just go back to yours."

Katy smirked. "I like that option better."


	92. Chapter 92

"Is Mr Baptiste your boyfriend?"

Katy paused, her fork halfway to her mouth as she stared at her daughter. "What?"

"Amy said Mr Baptiste is your boyfriend. Is he?"

"No!" Katy turned and scowled at her sister. "_Amy_ doesn't know what she's talking about."

"I do know." The eleven-year-old said, sending her a sarcastic smile.

"I told you he wasn't." Ruby shot back at her aunt smugly. "Charlie's dad is her boyfriend."

"_What_?" Her mother asked again. "No, Ruby, I don't have a boyfriend."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't. I don't need a boyfriend and I've got far too much to do to even think about it."

"Charlie's dad won't even talk to her anymore, stupid." Amy told Ruby, rolling her eyes. "Haven't you noticed?"

Katy scowled at her. "Amy!"

"What?" Amy asked, arching an eyebrow at her. "Why has Mr Baptiste got a photo of you on his phone if he's not your boyfriend?"

"What?" Katy asked for the third time, blinking in complete confusion.

"Yeah, he has." Her sister persisted. "We saw it. His lock screen is a picture of you and him."

"Fucking idiot." The young woman muttered under her breath. Seeing the children looking at her, she shrugged. "He's not my boyfriend."

"But–"

"Drop it, Ruby."

As her eldest daughter huffed and dropped her gaze to her dinner, Katy caught Tina's eyes across the table. Seeing the brunette smirking at her, the younger woman glared at her for a moment, before raising her glass and taking a large gulp of wine. Making a mental note to tell Isaac to be more careful – she didn't want people getting wind of anything before she was ready to tell them, especially not her daughters – Katy quickly turned the conversation round to the end of year play that the children were all involved in.

The rest of dinner past relatively smoothly before Katy sent Matthew and the twins to get ready for bed and the older three into the living room to watch TV. Tina grinned and took over the washing up as Katy's phone beeped, alerting to her to a text message. Seeing the smirk creeping over the blonde's lips, the older woman chuckled.

"That the not-boyfriend?"

"You can shut up and all." Katy told her, arching an eyebrow. "I don't need this crap, Tina."

"Hey!" Her friend held up her hands defensively. "I'm only winding you up. I know exactly what's going on." When the blonde huffed at her, she shrugged. "So, which one was it? Isaac or Graham?"

"Isaac, actually," Katy admitted, "but it doesn't mean he's my boyfriend."

"Whatever you say."

"Oi!"

Tina laughed, throwing the dishcloth at her and raising her eyebrows teasingly as she headed upstairs to get ready for work.

A couple of days passed calmly with Matthew and Ricky living with Katy, Tina and the girls and Amy flitting backwards and forwards between her mother's flat and her sister's house. As the end of the week neared, the blonde found herself with mixed emotions. She was looking forward to having a couple less children under her feet all the time, but she was wary about confronting her parents. She knew she needed to do it, but she had no idea how they would take the conversation.

"Is it today we get to talk to Aunty Lauren and Louie?" Sophie asked, leaning against the arm of the sofa and looking sideways at her mother.

Katy jumped and glanced up from the invoice she had been frowning at, blinking several times at her daughter's question. It took her a moment or two to realise what she'd been asked and a further moment to glance at the date and time on her phone to check.

"Yeah… in about a quarter of an hour." She answered at last, earning a small cheer and a fist pump from the five-year-old.

As Sophie bounced away to tell her sisters and uncles, Katy pulled her laptop towards her and opened up the video chat programme ready to accept the incoming call from her cousin when Lauren was ready to speak to them. It had been a while since they'd spoken face-to-face and Katy knew that it was mostly because her cousin was hoping for an update on Whitney's situation, but the blonde had absolutely nothing to tell her.

"Is it time?" Matthew asked, skidding into the room with the others on his heels.

Pointing towards the laptop set up on the coffee table and aimed at the sofa, Katy moved over so that the children could pile onto the cushions and fight over who got to sit in the middle. Rolling her eyes, the blonde carried on checking through the R&R invoices until she heard the sound of the video call coming through and leant across to accept it.

Waiting until the children had finished talking and bombarding Lauren and Louie with questions, Katy nudged them over and waved as soon as she came into view. For a while they talked about the children and school and work, until Lauren and Katy sent the children away and settled down for a proper conversation.

"I can't tell you anything about Whitney." Katy said quickly, pre-empting the question. "She's home, but she won't really speak to me and I had a bust up with her brief. He's a waste of space, Laur. He's a creep and I don't trust him, but Whitney does."

"So what are you doing about it?"

"What _can_ I do about it? You know Whit."

"Yeah, I do… we've seen her through some scrapes over the last ten years."

"We've seen _each other_ through some dodgy scrapes." Katy pointed out. "And we really have got ourselves into some situations, ain't we?"

"Jake, Steven, Nathan, Rob, Lee, that Connor… I think we all had things with Tyler, Peter and Joey…"

"Oh god." Katy put her head in her hands. "How pathetic is it that most of our lowest moments revolve around a bloke?"

"I mean, that's not even the whole list, is it?"

"Right, enough!" The blonde laughed, shaking her head. "I don't like this trip down memory lane much. So, what's new with you on the man front?"

As Lauren launched into telling her about a guy she was seeing, making it clear that she wasn't sure whether it was serious enough to go anywhere, Katy zoned out a little. She knew that, at some point, her cousin would return the question and she wasn't entirely sure what to tell her. As much as she hated to admit it, Isaac was starting to worm his way into her thoughts much more often than she was comfortable with.

"Shit!" Katy spotted the time. "I've gotta go in a bit, sorry, babe. I've gotta pick up Amy from her mate's house."

"Yeah? Why?"

"Mum and Dad are off on holiday and Rox is working at the club, so–"

"Jack and Ronnie are on holiday? _Together_?"

"Uhh…" A guilty look crossed the blonde's face for a moment. "Maybe?"

"I thought Uncle Jack was still with Denise?" Seeing the expression on Katy's face, Lauren's eyebrows shot up. "No way!"

"Lauren, honestly, I have no idea what's going on." Katy admitted. "They had a bit of a thing before, which apparently was over, but Mum told me she was going to see a mate and Dad said he had a training course at Hendon. Bit of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"Oh, they're definitely together wherever they are." Lauren agreed with a nod. "What are you gonna do?"

"I dunno…"

"How would you feel if they officially got back together?"

"They're my parents, Laur… I'd love it."

"You think it would actually work?"

Katy sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I have absolutely no idea. I want to think it will… I just want them to be happy; Mum especially after everything. I think they need each other. Like… how often have they been on and off? They're just better when they're together."

"That go for you and Tyler, too?"

Katy scowled at her. "No, it definitely does not. Dad never threatened Mum to get custody, did he?"

"To be fair, you were almost eighteen when you met them… he might have done if you were younger."

"That really isn't helping."

"I thought you were doing mediation?"

"Yeah… that was a fucking disaster." Katy told her with a shrug. "He's just incapable of being reasonable and seeing sense."

"So what happens now?"

"I hand over to Ritchie and she'll deal with whoever Tyler's hired. If that doesn't work, it'll have to go to court."

"Is that what you want?"

Katy frowned. "Of course not. I didn't start this, Lauren."

"But the Mitchell in you won't let you end it."

"It's not about my pride, Lauren… it's about my girls. Staying with me is the best thing for them, so I'm gonna fight him for as long as it takes."

There was a pause. "You sure you can win this, K? I mean… I don't wanna see you get hurt. What with your family and your past and stuff…"

"None of that's got anything to do with it." Katy told her firmly. "Everything I do is for the girls. They've got a good home, everything they could possibly need, people around them who love them… they're my world and I refuse to let him ruin things."


	93. Chapter 93

It was Sunday morning when Jack appeared to collect Ricky and Amy. Katy leant in the living room doorway watching her father hugging her brother and sister tightly, smiling weakly when Amy glanced in her direction. Jack laughed when his younger daughter asked if he'd brought them presents, reminding her that there weren't any gift shops at a police training centre.

As the two children rushed upstairs to gather their things, Katy fixed her father with a serious look. He huffed, frowning at her as he realised that she was about to start asking questions that he probably wouldn't be thrilled about. Before she could even open her mouth, Jack held up his hands and glanced towards the door, signalling for her to push it shut.

"So… something you need to tell me about, Dad?"

"Like what?"

"Where you actually were this week?" She retorted. "I'm not an idiot, Dad. I don't buy that you and Mum were coincidentally away the same week… I'm not Aunty Roxy or Gran. I _know_ that you went away together."

"Katy, you can't go round shooting your mouth off about things you don't understand!" He hissed at her irritably, lowering his voice so that they wouldn't be overheard. "I'm in a relationship, remember? With Denise. You can't just–"

Katy rolled her eyes. "Leave it out. You know I like Denise and this ain't fair on her. It ain't fair on anyone… think about the kids!"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jack turned to her and shook his head. "I don't know what you want me to do."

"Are you serious?" His daughter stared at him, wide-eyed. "I want you to grow up and make a decision. Mum's no innocent, far from it, but it's you who's messing the pair of them around. You've got the control here, Dad. You need to decide which of them you actually wanna be with you end things with the other one."

"Simple as that, yeah?"

"Yeah, actually, it is." Katy snapped. "God, why are men such cowards. Just make a damn decision and stick with it."

"What if I make the wrong decision?"

Exhaling sharply, Katy rubbed her forehead tiredly. "I honestly don't know. Look… I'm not saying you have to make a decision right this second and tell them straight away," she admitted with a small shrug, "but you need to deal with this before everything blows up in your face. This can't go on forever, can it? At some point everyone _is_ going to find out."

"Right, fine… point taken." Jack muttered grumpily. "Just… don't say anything, yeah?"

"Like I would."

"Thanks." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking awkward. "So… how've things been? It was your last session with the mediator this week, weren't it?"

"Mmm…"

"How'd it go?"

"I've handed it over to Ritchie. She's dealing with it now."

"You couldn't sort things between you?" Jack asked, frowning at her. "How have things got so bad between you?"

"You never liked Tyler." Katy reminded him with a shrug. "You always thought something like this was going to happen."

Her father snorted. "I thought he didn't have the brains he was born with. He was never good enough for you."

"Don't Dad." She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself and turning away. "I did love him."

"I know you did, sweetheart. Are you sure there's no chance…?"

"Dad." Katy scowled at him. "It's over. There's no going back from this."

"Would you want to if you could?"

"No. I really wouldn't. We're done. I've moved on."

"Talking of moving on… you and Isaac, eh?"

"What the fuck?" Katy threw up her hands in exasperation. "Is this Amy?"

Jack grinned, revelling in his daughter's discomfort after the conversation they'd just had. "She said he's got a photo of you as his lock screen?"

"Oh my god!"

"So… you're not gonna be inviting us round for dinner to meet him anytime soon?"

"No!" Katy scowled at him. "No, I'm bloody not." Hearing thumping footsteps coming down the stairs, she turned and smiled at Ricky and Amy as they crashed into the living room. "Oh, Dad… any chance you can have the girls on Tuesday night? There's an event I need to go to and Tina's covering me at R&R."

"Sure." He shrugged, shouldering the children's bags. "Need me to get them to school?"

"Yeah, please… I'm not sure what time I'll get back, so I'd appreciate a lie in!"

"Is Mr Baptiste going with you?" Amy asked, smirking.

Katy narrowed her eyes at her. "No, of course not. Why would he be?"

"Whatever you say, Katy…"

Exchanging a look with her father, the young woman walked them to the door, leaning against the doorframe as she watched them walk around the pillar and then up the steps to the house next door. She grinned, reaching out to high-five Ricky as he leant towards her and shaking her head in amusement as they disappeared inside.

She was about to head back inside herself, when her eyes caught movement through the gardens and she realised her mother was heading towards her. Arching an eyebrow, Katy remained leaning in the doorway as Ronnie approached nonchalantly, doing her very best to keep an innocent expression on her face. Leading the way inside, Katy asked whether her mother wanted a cup of tea, before going to put the kettle on.

"How's Amanda?" Katy asked as soon as they were settled at the breakfast bar with their mugs of tea.

"She's fine. The bar looks great!" Ronnie smiled at her, taking a sip of her drink.

"That's weird…"

Ronnie blinked at her. "What is?"

"You said you were going to see someone called Alison."

"Is that not what you said?"

"Nope." Katy arched an eyebrow at her. "Where did you and Dad go, anyway?"

"I wasn't–"

"Oh, come on, Mum. Dad's already let the cat out of the bag." Her daughter told her with a shrug. Katy dropped her gaze for a moment, before looking up seriously. "He's literally just left here with the kids."

"What… what did he say?" There was an intensely vulnerable look on the older blonde's face as she searched Katy's face for answers.

"I did most of the talking." She admitted. "I told him he needed to make a decision."

"Katy…"

"What?" Her daughter looked at her defiantly. "You don't like being messed around and kept as his little secret, do you?"

"Of course not, but–"

"Besides, you said you'd end things with him if I gave Isaac a proper chance."

"And you have?"

"Well… according to Amy he's got a photo of me and him as his lock screen on his phone, so…" Katy shrugged, wrapping her hands around her mug and looking down. "I guess I have."

"You don't sound too happy about it."

"I like him, Mum, I just… I don't know if I can do the whole relationship thing. I mean I've got three kids, a business, cancer…"

"Isaac knows all those things, right?" Ronnie asked gently, reaching out and covering Katy's hand with her own. She linked their fingers and squeezed gently. "If he knows all about your life and he still wants a relationship with you–"

"But he doesn't know all about my life, does he? He has no idea how many skeletons there are in my cupboards. He'd run a mile if he had _any_ idea…"

"But that's all in the past; it's all done and dusted." The older blonde told her firmly, squeezing her hand again. "It's done, sweetie."

"Yeah…"

"It _is_ done, isn't it? There's nothing I don't know, is there?"

"Course not, Mum."

"Katy?"

"Mum, seriously." Katy leant back in her seat, letting her hand drop out of her mother's. She couldn't help her mind flicking to the gun safely locked away in the safe in her office. "There's nothing you need to worry about, OK?"

"Strangely that doesn't set my mind at rest, Katherine."

"You sound like Gran."

Ronnie's face twitched, but she didn't comment. "What've you done?"

"I haven't _done_ anything."

Letting out a long, exasperated sigh, Ronnie ran both hands through her hair before looking at her daughter. "What have you got yourself involved in? Is it anything to do with that Graham?"

"Of course not." Katy rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you're so intent on making him out to be some kind of monster."

"Because I know guys like him, sweetie. They put the money in, but at the end of the day you're the one that ends up paying."

"Mum, it ain't like that."

"It's _always_ like that."

"If we can't have a sensible conversation–"

Ronnie held up a hand. "Alright, fine. I'll drop it." She reached out for Katy's hand again, smiling when her daughter relaxed. "Nice t-shirt, by the way."

Katy chuckled, looking down at her pyjama top. "It's one of the ones Whitney made for Pride at R&R last year. They're surprisingly comfortable."

"Thought maybe you'd stolen it off Tina."

"She's got a matching one." Her daughter replied with a shrug, grinning. "Got a couple more somewhere if you want one."

"You know I don't wear random t-shirts." Ronnie reminded her with a grin.

"Ah, yeah, I forgot it would need to have a _label_."

"Don't you cheek me, young lady."

Laughing, the younger blonde shook her head and stood up, holding out her hand for her mother's empty mug and placing them both in the sink. "Talking of Pride, are you and Rox still OK to help out at R&R this year? I wanna give Tina and the others the night off so they can enjoy it properly." She grinned cheekily. "It will mean wearing a non-label t-shirt though, I'm afraid."

"Oh, shhh, you!" Ronnie pouted at her in mock-offence. Then she sent her a warm smile. "Yeah, we're both looking forward to it. I think Rox is hoping Christian and Syed will come down for the weekend, too."

Katy grinned and turned her attention to washing up, listening as Ronnie launched into a one-sided conversation about what they needed to do between them with everything the children had coming up over the next couple of weeks before the summer holidays. When Ronnie asked whether they should split attending sports' day, the summer fayre, the summer play and the end of term assembly between them, Roxy, Jack and Glenda, Katy arched an eyebrow.

"Firstly, it's Amy last year in Primary and I think she'd throw the tantrum to end all tantrums if we weren't all there for every single thing she gets to show off in." She pointed out. "Secondly, it's Matthew and the twins first year and I'm not missing that. Thirdly, we're Mitchells… we go everywhere en masse given the opportunity."

"And you can find the time to follow through with that promise?"

Katy nodded at her sharply. "I'll make time."


End file.
